What age hens start laying?

[sandiatonimarie]

I haven't done any vent checking but I was told to watch their combs, too. Redder combs mean they are closer to laying. As far as "when" it's all over the map. I have 7 Wyandotte hens and many Wyandotte experts say that breed doesn't start to lay until they are at least 26 weeks old. But at least two of mine have started laying this week - I've got four eggs in the last three days and they are only 20 weeks old as of today.

 

[MattalynsBarn]

What I've heard is between 16-20 week. If you go on youtube (or something of the like) and look for "chicken egg songs" that's one of the things they do

 

[sandiatonimarie]

Quote:
I totally agree!!! I know a lil' but not everything, I can help ppl with those things I DO know, but I also hope to learn things from these forums (as well as make some chicken friends). What someone deems as 'known' is not always, and is often a BIG help to those who DON'T!! Is it so hard to take a few seconds to post a few tips or tricks that you have done for yrs just to help someone else?

Now on that note!! I do love this forum because MOST ppl on here are super friendly and helpful and even if someone doesn't know the answer they have a sense of humor to lighten the mood... there is no need to treat ppl here with hateful or arrogant ignorance!! For those of you who feel the need to post with condescending or hateful remarks ... please just refrain from posting at all... that is not what this forum is about.

and YES - AMEN! I am new to chickens and found most of the posters to be friendly and helpful. There are many of us who were not raised around chickens so what might be "obvious" to the old hands is sure not obvious to the new hands...

 

[sandiatonimarie]

Quote:
Yes! There's a couple of really funny videos on YouTube with the chicken egg song. That was how I knew to look for the first egg, I heard that loud "Look what I did" song for the first time from my chickens.

 

[NewHen]

I think my sex link chicken hatched in mid/late March just laid an egg this week. I hadn't thought to even start looking yet, but there it was.

 

[daddysgirlz]

Ahh..what about silkies?? What do we think the laying age of of them...? Our four hens hatched in mid February this year....when should I start putting hay in the laying box?? Now?? Imma gettin excited!!!

 

[NewHen]

Quote:
I think silkies take a long time. That being said, I've always kept hay in the nests. About a week before I found the egg, I put the wooden eggs in there.

 

[LittleOregonAnnie]

My EE pullet was 17 weeks old last week and has laid 4 eggs into her 18th week. I noticed her comb got a lot redder prior to laying. She did the "egg song" last Monday and no egg was ever found right after the song. I think the first egg was on Wednesday and all of the eggs have been laid very quietly. I kept my eye on her after hearing Monday's egg song and noticed she had gotten really, really uneasy through Tuesday. She was pacing in and out of the coop and scratching at all the nest boxes. Her anxiousness lasted for hours. I finally got tired of watching as this was evening, and found the egg the next day.
They are still tiny eggs, like half the size of regular store bought eggs, and a really pretty shade of olive green. Will the eggs ever get any bigger? This EE is a good sized pullet and I bought another EE pullet at the same time who is really little. So I'm wondering how big her eggs will be. Her comb has become a lot redder as well. Hurry up and wait....

 

[colowyo0809]

From what i've heard, the EE's eggs will get bigger. Pullets generally start with small eggs and as they get older the eggs get bigger. Or, as they continue to lay their eggs the eggs get bigger, to a certain point anyways

On the egg song, we have two cochin bantams that are laying now and I've never heard the egg song. they make noise during the day, but never an egg until we get home in the evening. Our "teenagers" are roughly 20 weeks old so we are hoping to see more tiny eggs soon!

thankfully, most of our birds are the large fowl like wyandottes and orpingtons and jerseys. weee!!

 

[dldolan]

I have one EE who has been laying for a month now, and her mint green eggs have indeed increased in size. They are now a regular Grade Medium i would guess, but started out round, bumpy, lopsided, smallish... She lays three days on, takes a day off, then back for three days. Funny girl!