whats in the age?

[chickenlover237]

how old are rhode island reds when they first start laying? and how old should they be when they are taken our of the brooder and put them in the outdoor pen to live in? thanks

 

[Dutchess]

I don't have a lot of experience, but I had RIRs and they started laying at about 20 weeks.
The babies should be FULLY feathered before they venture outside. otherwise they will be too cold and you could lose them.
Good luck!

 

[kari_dawn]

honestly, breed may not be all that important in when they lay. Hatchery RIR are WAY different than true RIR as you will learn here. Weather (length of daylight) and individual maturity have more to do with when they will lay than the breed of the bird (though how MUCH they lay is an all together different story). As far as puting them outside, I give my babies supervised outside time at about four to five weeks, but only for a few hours a day. Once they are fully feathered, not dependant on a heat source, and the weather outside is good, I put them out.