Speckled Sussex

[CAL]

I got a Speckled Sussex about 2 months ago and the person said she was 5 months old almost 6 months. To this day I haven’t gotten 1 egg from her. Has anybody dealt with this?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Are you sure it's a pullet? Post a picture; full body (standing at a normal stance), back area & of the head (comb).

 

[CAL]

I will post pictures tomorrow morning

 

[Ridgerunner]

Has anybody dealt with this?

Regularly. It's one of the most common subjects posted on this section of the forum.

Some people seem to think that every pullet of a certain breed will start to lay at a specific age. That's not even close to correct. For a lot of different reasons some of any breed will start laying pretty early, some will wait a long time. There can be months of difference in when they start even if it is pullets from the same flock, let alone the same breed. Since you only have one averages don't mean anything anyway.

You don't say where you are located, but if you are north of the equator you have the time of year working against you. I regularly get some pullets to start laying this time of the year with the days getting shorter but some prefer to wait until the days start getting longer in the spring.

Chickens don't handle change really well. The stress from moving her and integrating her into a new flock can affect when they start.

Another possibility is that she is hiding a nest from you. Is that possible?

Photos to confirm it is a pullet and not a cockerel could be a big help, but basically they lay when they lay. I've had some go longer than nine months so I understand your frustration.

 

[CAL]

 

[CAL]

I live in Oregon

 

[SueT]

She looks like a pullet...comb should be redder when ready to lay. What are you feeding?

 

[Morrigan]

6 months is when, on average, most hens start laying. Keep in mind that is just an average. Some hens start earlier, and some later. If you read through these forums you will read of hens not starting until they are 7 or 8 months old. For pullets who come of laying age during the shortest days of the year, it may take longer.

I have two SS pullets right now that are 20 weeks old, and they look similar to yours in terms of how red their faces and combs are. I'm thinking mine are still a few weeks away.

 

[SueT]

I have an SS hen, hatched in May of 2016. Because she matured as the days got shorter, she didn't lay till spring.

 

[CAL]

Thanks for the info.