Official BYC Poll: When Did Your Hen/s Begin Laying Eggs?

[NorthwoodsChick]

Born early spring heritage bantam breeds can start laying in the fall. I have a few who did so. One was laying through winter. But all the other pullets stopped during the shortest days.

I have often wondered if hatch season makes a difference in the age a hen lays her first egg. Seems the heavier breeds generally take longer, but if winter light is at its lowest, and all else being unchanged (diet, health) the time to first egg may be delayed by several weeks. I wonder if adding new egg layers in Aug/Sept would result in more consistency.
Any thoughts on that?

 

[Ascholten]

Well, one could say they may take their winter break as the light wanes, BUT it's been shown many times that first season layers, often times do lay thru the winter where your seasoned egg layers may take a bit of a sabattical.

It would be an interesting experiment but you'd have to use the same type of bird then and again at a later time to see if there is a significant difference. Id think they'd just start laying when their time comes though. (via age)

aaron

 

[Granny23]

My first chicks (Black Australorps) began laying at 19 and 20 weeks. My second batch (Blue Jersey Giants) started at 24 and 25 weeks, except for the freeloader (Jubilee Orpington) who is at 36 weeks and counting!

I have 4 hens. Cookie, a barred rock. She started laying 2 weeks before she turned 6 mos. She lays amost every day although her eggs are still, for the most part, on the smaller side.
Twinkie aka Goldie laid her first egg the day she turned 6 mos! And it was a biggie! She lays most days but skips a bit and her eggs are small. She is a buff orpington.
The "twins" are Rhode Island Reds. Cinnamon and Penny. They will be 6 mos on Wednesday the16th of February. Cinnamon laid her first egg a few days ago and it was a big one! Penny started laying a couple days later and they have been laying daily.
My concern now is they are making so much noise at 7 am with their " I LAID AN EGG" song that my neighbors will complain.

 

[Granny23]

I’ve had a pullet start and stop on me twice now. She laid two eggs in early October, stopped for three weeks, laid steadily through November and December, then stopped again in January and has yet to start laying again. I have no idea why she stopped in the fall, but it got considerably colder at the end of December and through January and one of my older hens also stopped laying during one particularly bad cold spell. It takes a lot of energy to create eggs, and if they’re working hard to stay warm, they may not have the energy to lay eggs on top of that.
Older hens, of course will likely take a break in the fall/winter when they molt and when daylight is short. And it’s not a guarantee that pullets will lay through the winter, as you have learned.

We live in So. Calif and the weather is weird right now...mid 80s. For Feb that's warm. I think that has something to do with our good layings.

 

[Secondof9]

I once had a Wyandotte that finally began laying at 9 months!!
Of my current chickens the Bielefelders began at 21 & 22 weeks and the Crested Cream Legbars at about 25 weeks.

 

[Jeri B]

One of my chickens laid her first egg the day after I got her. The other two started laying the same week. Sorry, I don’t know how old they were. I believe they were described as “about to start laying”.

Since this is their first winter, they didn’t molt and the laying didn’t slow down much. Most days I get 3 eggs. Most weeks I get 18-19 eggs. From 3 chickens.

 

[1Slayer]

My Polish hen just laid her 1st egg on Saturday and then another today.. she was hatched June 25.. but I think the cold winter weather was a factor. So somewhere around 28-29 weeks. She's the little white one

 

[Crazy Chicken Helen]

My pekins Lucky and Fern hatched last June and they only started laying last week

 

[Granny23]

One of my chickens laid her first egg the day after I got her. The other two started laying the same week. Sorry, I don’t know how old they were. I believe they were described as “about to start laying”.

Since this is their first winter, they didn’t molt and the laying didn’t slow down much. Most days I get 3 eggs. Most weeks I get 18-19 eggs. From 3 chickens.

All of a sudden Im getting 4 eggs a day!!! Both Rhodies started laying this week!! Whoo who!!! In addition to my 2 others.

 

[Brooks_]

*I didn't actually count.