What age do white leghorns lay?

[melvin1208]

the topic says it all

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Ask any PhD at any USDA affiliated university and they will tell you that Egg production is a highly inherited or inheritable trait. So if your pullet has a hatchery or production background she should begin laying at about 15 to 20 weeks of age.

So called chicken "Breeders" are not focused on the long haul and they could care less about the genes that they sell you. Breeders are only focused on your Do-Ray-Me and have no interest in maintaining their name or reputation. So if she has a "breeder" background consider yourself lucky if the pullet in question begins laying by 30 weeks.

If it makes a hoot to anyone this is the experience of an old commercial egg farmer going all the way back to the 1950s.

 

[milleryardchx]

mine are 20 weeks on thursday and no eggs yet

 

[sangel4you]

mine are only 10.5 weeks old, but the man I got them from breeds them to be layers, and he said they generally starting laying right about 16 weeks! I'm waiting to see!

 

[farmgirl0930]

I have a friend who just got some white leghorns about 3 weeks ago from a neighbor. They where laying great but they slowly have been decreasing in egg laying. She hasn't changed their food, only thing is they have been moved recently. They are 10 months old. Has moving them caused them to stop laying and once they are comfortable in their surroundings will they pick up again?

 

[sm0kin]

my leghorns are some 13 weeks old and no eggs yet but i will let everyone know when the first one lays.

 

[DebbieLynn]

My girls are 16 weeks old and 2 have started laying this past week,and boy are they LOUD! 1st 2 eggs were kind of small but now they look like regular eggs.

 

[milleryardchx]

Quote:
is it hot where she lives? hens lay less if their hot or moulting

 

[farmgirl0930]

No not really. Can they start molting at 10 months old? I thought it was too early for that. I was thinking because they had been moved & they are a flighty & nervous bird, that why they decreased.

 

[milleryardchx]

Quote:
with any new birds i have had its taken them no more than three maybe four days and their back to laying after a move and i have had a few that aren't worried at all and never stop laying because of a move.

edited because i can't type