Our chickens are 20 weeks and 18 weeks. We've not seen one egg yet, and I am getting anxious.

[KCL217]

Our chickens are free range at 20 and 18 weeks. RIR, NHR, and Barred. We've searched all of their spots, and have not found one egg, or evidence of an egg. They've gotten in and out of nesting boxes, and we have ceramic eggs in their, but nothing. We're using 5 gallon buckets with a cut out on top, and hay. Any ideas. Thank you.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

I would say don’t worry about it! Ours didn’t start laying until over 6 months! I’m sure your eggs will be on their way soon!!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Relax. Chickens aren't alarm clocks much less calendars. Start of Lay is more like a strong suggestion then a narrow group of dates. I usually offer a four-week range as an estimate for an individual breed. My expectation would be that your birds will begin to lay between five and seven months (22 to 30 weeks). There are some hybrids, like the golden comet and some of the other red sex link, who commonly lay between 16th and 20 weeks - about four months. (My Comets were 19 weeks +/-, my "Rainbows" came in 23-25 weeks). If you have not seen eggs by week 28, then I would start getting concerned, as the light levels should be falling in about 3 months time, which can add further delay.

 

[LizzzyJo]

You'll know when it happens because they will start screaming about it, shouting it from the rooftops, and telling everyone they know. Keep an ear out!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Sorry about the difficulty reading, I was using speach to text, waiting on the flag man to waive me down the one lane highway. Fixing it now.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I'm gonna call backyard chickens anonymous on you and have an addiction intervention!

Thank you for caring. It would probably be a good thing, considering. I spend more time here than with my birds.

 

[rosemarythyme]

BUT, if you reach down and grab them behind the neck, kind of like tickle them with your hands / fingers, and run down their sides, get up under their wings and like grab their body's running your fingers like a massage working your way back and when you get to the tail just kind of grab it by the sides sort of, working your hands up until you get to the very end, then give them a little tug, they LOVE it and will ruffle and fluffle right up. Of course you gotta be saying chickie chickie chikie POOHHHHhhh while doing it too. This can also temporarily make them stop following you around getting literally right under your feet!

Aaron

That also encourages them to continue to squat for your "attention" whenever they see you. (I actually encourage the squat, annoying as it can be, as it makes them much much easier to catch - well, the ones that will squat reliably at least).

 

[U_Stormcrow]

You'll know when it happens because they will start screaming about it, shouting it from the rooftops, and telling everyone they know. Keep an ear out!

and before that, there better than even chances they will run in front of you, then squat.

HATED that, tripping all over the poor girls all the time, carrying 5 gallon buckets of feed, trying to navigate an obstacle course of sprint and squat poultry!

 

[LizzzyJo]

Sorry about the difficulty reading, I was using speach to text, waiting on the flag man to waive me down the one lane highway. Fixing it now.

I'm gonna call backyard chickens anonymous on you and have an addiction intervention!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I was going to post almost the exact same question this evening. I have 10 pullets approaching the 19 week mark. 4 are brahmas, so not expecting anything from them yet, but I have 3 barred rocks and 3 cinnamon queens that I'm anxious to see some productivity from soon. We were allowing them to free range from about 10 am to dusk, but this week decided we are going to keep them in there run until mid evening. They tend to wonder into the neighbors yards while free ranging, and I don't want them leaving eggs where they may not be found. Their run is a 25ft x 50ft enclosure with good grass and forage plus scratch and crumble feed. I just really want the first egg to arrive this month while I'm still working remotely from home so I get to hear that first egg song. I have to go back to working on site at the beginning of August.

My understanding (I've not owned them) is the a C Queens are like my Rainbows, and favor the early half of the 20-28 week split. Barred Rocks, same rough time period. My Dark Brahma were a full seven months. I think the first egg was week 29 and it took a while for the rest of them to ramp up.