Sorry for posting so much about this...

[StarLover21]

No, no lighting- we don't have electricity in the coop. Besides we live in a neighborhood, I'm not sure how we would do that withought disturbing the neighbors and such.

 

[kari_dawn]

I wouldn't worry about her yet. My four are more than 8 months now, and one is still not laying. There just isn't enough daylight right now.

 

[StarLover21]

I wouldn't worry about her yet. My four are more than 8 months now, and one is still not laying. There just isn't enough daylight right now.

Yeah . I'm mainly worried because of all the stories of leghorns starting at 16-20 weeks. It just seems old for a leghorn. What breeds are yours?

 

[kari_dawn]

Blue laced red wyandottes, first to lay, and my easter egger just started laying. My remaining lagger is a salmon faverolle, and her comb is in the beginning stages of red. She is right around the same age as yours, and yours sounds like she is closer to POL than mine. Even after my BLRW's comb and wattles got all inflamed and red, she held off laying for another three weeks.



In this picture, she STILL wasn't laying. Her comb was beet red (looks a little washed out in the photo) Nor was her hatchmate to the left hand side of the screen. Of course, her hatch mate obviously wasn't as developed. The splash developed significant wattles, and a much bigger, much redder comb just days before she started laying whearas the blue was well developed and deep rich red for weeks before I got my first egg. They are in the same coop, on the same forage, and from the same hatchery but the splash was a week behind the blue for laying, and developed significantly differently as well.

Honestly, most of those pullets that start laying at 16-20 weeks probably are spring/summer pullets, not fall/winter pullets. Anything that reaches POL this time of year is going to be delayed in laying significantly. On the other hand, my younger girls will probably be around laying age when the days get longer again, and I expect that they will begin laying right around that 21 week mark.

 

[StarLover21]

Blue laced red wyandottes, first to lay, and my easter egger just started laying. My remaining lagger is a salmon faverolle, and her comb is in the beginning stages of red. She is right around the same age as yours, and yours sounds like she is closer to POL than mine. Even after my BLRW's comb and wattles got all inflamed and red, she held off laying for another three weeks.



In this picture, she STILL wasn't laying. Her comb was beet red (looks a little washed out in the photo) Nor was her hatchmate to the left hand side of the screen. Of course, her hatch mate obviously wasn't as developed. The splash developed significant wattles, and a much bigger, much redder comb just days before she started laying whearas the blue was well developed and deep rich red for weeks before I got my first egg. They are in the same coop, on the same forage, and from the same hatchery but the splash was a week behind the blue for laying, and developed significantly differently as well.

Honestly, most of those pullets that start laying at 16-20 weeks probably are spring/summer pullets, not fall/winter pullets. Anything that reaches POL this time of year is going to be delayed in laying significantly. On the other hand, my younger girls will probably be around laying age when the days get longer again, and I expect that they will begin laying right around that 21 week mark.

Yeah, I guess a delay is normal because of the time of year. Although yesterday it was 70 here . However I'm sure theres still not enough sunlight. Yeah, I've heard salmon faverolles do lay pretty late (so jealous I wish i had one, they're my favorite breed!).

 

[kari_dawn]

They are rather darling! temps really don't have anything to do with egg laying cycles...the only other thing I could recommend would be artificial light, but I don't know how you would do that. Can you share any recent pics of your girl? Is her comb floppy yet?

 

[StarLover21]

They are rather darling! temps really don't have anything to do with egg laying cycles...the only other thing I could recommend would be artificial light, but I don't know how you would do that. Can you share any recent pics of your girl? Is her comb floppy yet?

Sure. Her comb isn't really floppy, but it looks just like her sisters did when she started laying at 25 weeks. Now her sister is 31 weeks and her comb is bigger but still not floppy. Her sister lives at our neighbors house. Her comb is much bigger than both of our adult red sex links, although I know leghorns get really big combs.

 

[StarLover21]

Does she look ready? Healthy?

 

[kari_dawn]

she certainly looks healthy...inquisitive, energetic, but I would expect a layer to have a bit bigger, redder comb...Im no leghorn expert though!

 

[StarLover21]

Okay, thanks. Yeah, as I said, her comb is bigger than the adult red sex links comb, and I'm no leghorn expert either, so I thought she should be laying by now, especially at her age. However, I do know leghorns get really big combs. I still think I'm doing something wrong though- her sister at my neighbors house is laying, and all five of her sisters who live in kentucky are laying too! And they started a long time ago. It just seems really weird to me. Oh, and BTW, I just realized we're neighbors! I live in North Texas too .