What are the chances of egg production this time of year?

[Cavendish Chickens]

Today is the first day of autumn, and the weather is back and forth between summer and fall. We get hot days, comfortable nights, then cooler 60 or so degree days with cold 40 some degrees. (I live in Ohio) Back and forth back and forth. What are the chances of our girls laying? They are only about 14 weeks old as of right now. But I just wonder if they will even get to lay.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I'd say you have a fair chance. My birds arrived the first week of September of 2008 and started to lay the following February. Last winter they laid consistently. I did notice a drop in production but they never completely stopped.

 

[Cat Water]

I think it depends on the breed. If they are heavy, cold-hardy breeds like Orpingtons, they might start soon, but if they aren't a breed that lays in winter, they will probably wait until Spring. My chickens are about the same age as yours, so I have no experience, but that is what I heard.

 

[Cavendish Chickens]

Okay. Thank you. Makes me feel a little better. I was just wondering because I heard temperature has a lot to do with egg production.

They are leghorns.

 

[Patchesnposies]

More than the temps I think the key to your girls beginning to lay will be to supplement light during the fall/winter months.

Here is a link to some info: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/tristate_organic/poultry_2007/Light%20Management.pdf

And a bit more:

http://www.ehow.com/list_5992642_ways-egg-production-laying-hens.html

I have had pullets begin to lay during the winter months....but we do live in southern NM and while it never gets that cold we did put a heat lamp on a timer in the girls coop and that provided the extra light they needed and we had eggs all year round.

 

[Cavendish Chickens]

Thank you patchesnposies. That was very informative. I learned quite a bit about the lighting and feeding, including supplements hens will need.

 

[woodmort]

I've got 26 Black Star pullets that were hatched at the end of May and, if they are like the batch I got at the same time 5 years ago, I expect them to start laying in the middle of next month. No reason to think otherwise. At that point I'll switch them from grower to layer. Also, I've got my birds on a 15 hr. light schedule--will be through April. There is no magic bullet to get them to start but they will because old Ma Nature has programed them to.

 

[Patchesnposies]

Quote:
No problem. I hope it won't be too long before we see a post announcing your first egg! Leghorn's are a breed known for their prolific egg laying and they lay early too. I got 8 pullets of each of these breeds (Buff Orp, Australorp and Leghorn) this past spring and the Leghorns have been laying for the last 4-6 weeks while the Australorp and Buff's have just started giving me itty bitty pullet eggs this last week.

Waiting for that first egg is so exciting!