pullets and first lay

[JRM131]

Hello - I have some Buff Orpingtons hatched in spring - they are looking good and now they are well over 7 months old and its autumn (fall) with the days getting shorter. We are latitude 38 degrees (like San Francisco) and in a temperate zone. Still they are not laying. Will they begin to lay soon, or will they wait until the coming spring when they will be approaching one year of age? I suppose some breeds behave differently in this respect, and if they were hybrids like ISA Brown they would already be laying and perhaps continue laying over winter. Would much appreciate insights here, even if just some general information not specific to the Buffs. Thanks!

 

[lazy gardener]

Your post is confusing b/c it is Spring here, not fall. Are you in the U.S. ? Or at a climate similar to San Francisco, but in the Southern Hemisphere?

If you put your general location in your profile, that will help folks to give climate specific information.

 

[JRM131]

Your post is confusing b/c it is Spring here, not fall. Are you in the U.S. ? Or at a climate similar to San Francisco, but in the Southern Hemisphere?

If you put your general location in your profile, that will help folks to give climate specific information.

sorry - am in Melbourne Australia

 

[lazy gardener]

AAAHHH! That makes a huge difference. There are a lot of folks from Australia on BYC. Be sure to visit your country's thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/australians-where-are-you-all.186559/

You might want to try a supplemental light to kick start them into gear. Otherwise, wait it out. Here in the north (snow country) If I do not provide winter lighting, my flock will stop laying in October, and I may not see eggs again until February. Some of my new layers did not lay until they were 10 months old, even with supplemental light. If you want to try extra light, do a thread search for information. Warm spectrum light is best to encourage laying. You will want a bulb which provides light, but not heat, and slowly ramp up the hours of day light until they = 14 hours.