Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

Seriously, how does a BR lay that early? I always thought 18 weeks was early for any pullet, with 22 being average. 24 being more of the "norm". This guy said ALL of his (no idea what number that would be) laid early! Is he full of cow dung?
 
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Born around April 1st that makes them about 20 weeks old so they are still young. Our friend cheeka here just got her first egg at 23 weeks. Give it time I think you will see eggs soon. If you want eggs earlier you might want to make them a pie.
Wait a sec! That is 25 weeks. Don't confuse me!
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I don't want to hijack the thread but starting a new one seemed to much so here goes...we have five hens all born around April 1st. the Buff orps and RIRs all started laying between Aug 10th and 14th (sometimes two eggs a day!)

One hen doesn't seem to be laying at all. We had a Moran and were getting a dark brown speckled egg about every 36 hours but she died last week and now I am sure that our Wellsummer is not laying at all. We have layer feed out but I switched back to growth formula with calcium on the side today. She is a very timid hen and one of the RIR's chases her away when ever she gets too close, but there is no pecking and she roosts with other birds high in the coop. We feed cascade organic and they free range on about 1/2 acre... so between bugs and weeds and an infestation of grubs in our compost they barley eat any feed right now.

Other than a 100 foot long laurel hedge there aren't many hiding places in your yard. The Moran was and one of the RIR's still is a rouge layer so I am pretty good at finding eggs.Thew whole family searched all the possible hiding places today and did not find a single eggs. Her feathers are bright and shinny, her comb has been bright red for almost 6 weeks and her vet is moist and looks normal too.

Any one have any thought why she isn't laying?

I have a hatchery Welsummer hatched the third week of March, and she is my only pullet from that time not laying. She did have an umbilical hernia as a chick (I took her anyway--- the last Welsummer) and she grew very slowly for the first 3 weeks. Thought this was why she hasn't started yet, but maybe Welsummers are more slow to mature? Waiting impatiently.
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On a happy note, my broody seems to be almost back to non-broody normal. She roosted last night instead of sleeping in the nest box. Now just waiting to see if she'll resume laying. Glad I took away her golf ball!
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Gotta go make some pie now.
 
it's too rainy for ranging
the chance to meet fox is too engaging
but it's not too rainy for Pie!
it's too rainy for laying
the coop's full of birds preening
but it's not too rainy for Pie!
Wilma gets two, Blu gets one
this is gonna be so much fun!
it's not too rainy for Pie!
if you think it's unfair
that the rest of you share...
stop keeping me begging
and get to your laying...
it's never too rainy for Pie!
 
My poor chickens only got vegetables today. No fancy design. No pie. I am so mean.
On the great side, I got two eggs in the box today! Two on the floor. All nice looking eggs, but Penny did give me another small egg. Oh well. She IS still young.
Now I can go get more nest boxes. I was holding off since the one I had wasn't being used. I was going to just let them keep laying in the corner, but they would have had to find another corner or two soon. Five layers will soon be 2o. That is a lot of eggs for one corner!
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Originally Posted by MotorcycleChick

Seriously, how does a BR lay that early? I always thought 18 weeks was early for any pullet, with 22 being average. 24 being more of the "norm". This guy said ALL of his (no idea what number that would be) laid early! Is he full of cow dung?
</i wouldn't call him full of anything, chickens can be selectively bred for certain qualities, early egg laying is one of them. But what qualifys as early? I got up early today because I heard some chicken arguments. Also, time of year they hatched out, nutritional advantages,stressors, daylight...pie, it all adds up. :)
 
My reply didn't follow....but I wouldn't call him names...chickens can be selectively bred for early laying...but what does early qualify in age? There are also other factors, hatch time, nutritional advantages, social stressors, environmental stressors, pie. It's an interesting topic but for most of us a few weeks doesn't matter, it's not a trait I breed for.
 
I get so much pleasure from them, and it won't be long before I have so many eggs we will be able to have our "Festival of Eggs on the Mountaintop"!
I'm hoping for a broody, but if I don't get one this Spring, I have 2 friends with perpetually broody hens that I can stick eggs under, and I just met someone here on byc who might be interested in eggs for hatching, lives in my town... early laying won't be a trait I will breed for either. the eggs come in their time, and the time I spend outdoors, in fresh air, moving about doing chores and communing with the chickens is worth way more to my "at ease state of mind" than a little more feed going out than eggs coming in... know what I mean? jellybean??
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