When can I expect my girls to start laying?

[Texas Willie]

Hi Everyone,

We have 12 Gold Sex Links (crossed Rhode Island Reds x Rhode Island Whites). They just turned 10 weeks old on Monday......(Happy Birthday Girls!)

The reason for this post is my wife and I are going on a Cruise to Alaska in Sept and will have friends/relatives coming by to tend to the flock.

Their home is complete with nesting boxes, roost, automatic watering and feeding. So, the chicken sitters will not have a lot to do, other than open the coop door to let them out in their run. We have the nest boxes covered up to keep them from soiling the nests until it's time to let them in to lay.

Our cruise departs the day after the girls turn 16 weeks old.....So, my dilemma is whether or not to open the nest boxes prior to the cruise and alert the care givers to check the boxes for eggs. If they are laying before we leave or after, egg collection is an easy task since all the nest boxes can be tended from the exterior of the coop.

Any Feedback Is Greatly Appreciated!

TW

 

[Mama2chicks]

I don't have sex links but a couple of my girls started laying at 17 weeks of age. I have RIR, BR, Buff Orp, and Blask Australorps. I'm not positive who was laying first but my best guess is the RIR. I would catch one in the nesting box every morning.

 

[LunarRayne]

I do not have the same breed you have, but mine started laying this week at 20-21 weeks for my Barred Rock and 17-18 for my Easter egger.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

[train2110]

We have two RIR that we got this spring as day-olds. They both started laying around 18 wks. We also got two Leghorns and two SLWD at the same time. The leghorns started at 16wks and the SLWD have not started, currently at 21wks.

Hope that helps!