The wait for my egg factories is awful!

[Frstimechick]

Who else is with me here? We have 18 and 19 week olds that aren't laying yet (Cinnamon Queen, California White, EE and Blue Maran mix). They're still on chick starter, have oyster shells, grit and spend probably 80% of their day outside of their coop/run. We made them a 'backyard' because free ranging on our acreage wasn't going well and this keeps them a little bit safer. I put a golf ball in each of the nesting boxes to help promote where to lay but nothing yet. In the last week or so, I've noticed the Cinnamons combs and wattles are bright red but I'm not sure what other signs I should look for. I told them I'm not buying anymore eggs and they need to start providing but they're not listening.

(Pictures 1 & 2 are the same pullet and 3 & 4 are the same. The last pic is their 'backyard'.)

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I hear you! I have a mixed flock of "mutts" (from BPR, RIR, Australorp, and Ameraucana), with pullets at 19-20 weeks, bunches of younger pullets, and bunches of older layers. I'm still waiting for my oldest pullets to start paying their room and board. For my flock, the young ladies start laying at about 24-26 weeks.

 

[Frstimechick]

This is worse than waiting for Santa as a child! Every morning I ask them who's going to lay me an egg. The girl in my first and second pictures is obnoxiously loud and sounds like a goose and she always throws in a bawk, baaaawk like back off, lady, we're busy hunting bugs and doing our other chicken things!

 

[WIchickMama]

Yep, waiting is the worst-especially when they are showing all the signs of being point of lay. hopefully they start laying soon for you

 

[jreardon1918]

It should be soon. Our chicks are 23 weeks old. We too have marans, EE, Salmon faverolle, production blue. I think they have all started laying in the last 3 weeks. There white and large brown eggs are from our older hens.

 

[Frstimechick]

Yep, waiting is the worst-especially when they are showing all the signs of being point of lay. hopefully they start laying soon for you

Thank you! I hope so too!

 

[Frstimechick]

It should be soon. Our chicks are 23 weeks old. We too have marans, EE, Salmon faverolle, production blue. I think they have all started laying in the last 3 weeks. There white and large brown eggs are from our older hens.

Beautiful! I love your jumbo speckled egg!

 

[Toothpick]

Seems like I waited 6-8 months! But in reality when I added it up it was only about 4-5 lol. I keep thinking “man they should be laying soon it’s been about 6 months!”. Then i finally did the math and it was like 3 months and I said “damn! That’s all”.

 

[Chicken-Momma]

Our Golden Sex-links just laid their first eggs last Saturday. Coincidentally they both laid their first eggs on the same day.? Anyway, we have a lot of breeds of chickens and supposedly they begin laying the earliest at around 16 weeks. They are 20 weeks old though. We are guessing the delay was due to the weather. It has been so hot here in Oklahoma until last week, when it cooled down to the upper 80s. Our silkie also began laying last week, which surprised us because usually they are really late to begin.

 

[Tonyroo]

Just be patient, every chicken is a individual with there own time clock of when it's time to lay. You'll get a lot of eggs than you know what to do with.