We recieved two orders of chicks mid to late May... my hens still have not started to lay eggs and it's December. Is that normal or should they have been laying already?
Every hen matures at her own pace. It may be too late in the year for eggs which means they should start in spring at the latest.
X2 Added to that different breeds start at different times. Some early developers may lay at 16 weeks -- most chickens at 5-6 months, and some as long as 7-8 months.....and as Kevin565 says, this time of year has less light and more cold, so some of their energy that can go into egg construction in warmer months is directed to keeping warm in colder months. Hang in there.....before too long you should have eggs. of course too, make sure that there are not parasites and plenty of fresh water and food is available. Water is a huge component of the make up of an egg.
Thank you so much for the reassurance and advice! I leave in Feb. for the military so I'm hoping I get to see some eggs before I leave! Haha.
Hope that you do too----- keep those fingers crossed, and make sure that they have lots of food and water....and who knows... You might just see those eggs before you depart.
Add a light to the coop if you havent done so already. For best egg production they want 16 hours of light a day.
