When did your chickens begin laying eggs?

[MalMom]

I have a question. I have 4 chickens. This Thursday, they will be 20 weeks. However they seem a little small for their age. I have 1 EE, 1 Austra White, and 2 Sex Links( however I think that one is a RIR because of her coloring. When should I be expecting eggs? A couple of them have started to practice their vocals and have become quite loud but none of them have started squatting. I am leaving for Utah tomorrow, so I hope they don't lay while I'm gone (cause then Ill miss the first egg) I also still need to put in dividers for the nesting boxes and some straw.

How long will you be gone? I would have everything ready for them before you leave.

 

[LMat]

I have been told two things. #1-They won't lay eggs until you start them on layer feed. Right now, mine are still eating "Start & Grow" feed. I thought I'd let them finish the bag before I switch them over to layer feed. The Buffs and RIRs are about 19 weeks. The Barred Rocks turned 16 weeks old on Monday. #2-I have been told that you can't eat the eggs, if the hens are on medicated feed. I've gotten mixed opinions on both comments. Anybody know for sure whether or not chickens will lay before being given layer feed and if the medicated feed produces inedible eggs?

Your birds should lay wether or not they are eating layer feed. My birds switched from "grower" or "developer" feed to layer only once they actually started laying.
Just wondering tho, you're feeding your hens medicated feed? I wasn't aware there was medicated feed other than chick starter...? Maybe if they are still on medicated feed, switch to non-medicated grower feed before they start actually laying. I don't think the "medication" is doing much for your adult chickens anyway, as it's really just intended to help chicks develop a natural immunity to cocci.

 

[Krisabelle]

We got our first egg!!!!!!
Nugget is 16 weeks old - A Golden Comet

 

[alexa009]

One of my barred rocks didn't begin laying until 8 months, she was my latest. My australorp was laying at 4.5 months and she was my earliest.

 

[AZchickens17]

How long will you be gone? I would have everything ready for them before you leave.

I am leaving tomorrow and will be gone until the 4th or 5th, However, I don't think we will have the time to get everything ready because I don't have time to go to the store and buy straw and our saw isnt working.

 

[OCeggs23]

18 weeks - our Easter Egger (very pale blue egg)
Almost 22 weeks - our Welsummer (dark terracotta brown eggs)
23 weeks - another Easter Egger (blue egg)
24 weeks - last Easter Egger (olive green egg)

 

[barred2rock]

Week 20 (7/25/17) 1/5 Barred Rocks (2nd egg today)

 

[lazy gardener]

I have been told two things. #1-They won't lay eggs until you start them on layer feed. Right now, mine are still eating "Start & Grow" feed. I thought I'd let them finish the bag before I switch them over to layer feed. The Buffs and RIRs are about 19 weeks. The Barred Rocks turned 16 weeks old on Monday. #2-I have been told that you can't eat the eggs, if the hens are on medicated feed. I've gotten mixed opinions on both comments. Anybody know for sure whether or not chickens will lay before being given layer feed and if the medicated feed produces inedible eggs?

#1: They will start laying when they are sexually mature to the point that their bodies start releasing eggs. POL (point of lay) really has nothing to do with whether they are on layer feed or not. At 19 weeks of age, they are plenty old enough to start on layer feed, even if they are not yet laying. It makes sense to finish up your current bag of feed. However, if it's fairly full, you might want to pick up a bag of oyster shell to offer to them free choice. You could offer the OS, whether you put them on layer, or put them on multi flock.

#2: You most certainly can eat the eggs even if the birds were on medicated feed. The medication is Amprolium which blocks Thiamine uptake in the Cocci protozoan. It's not best practice to keep pullets on Amprolium long term, but the Amprolium won't affect the eggs. Many folks, myself included never use medicated feed, instead opting for natural methods of preventing Coccidiosis.

Enjoy your birds, and enjoy those first eggs.

 

[wolfinator]

Coop 1:
My 6 older girls (4 Showgirls, 1 Bantam Cochin and 1 RIR bantam mix) were all laying when I got them 2 years ago. They were between 4 and 6 months old at the time. Just 5 weeks ago they gave me 29 eggs in a week, but after losing my older rooster they went down to 6 eggs a week. Now they're up to 14 a week.

Coop 2:
I also have a mixed flock of 17 black Australorps (not laying yet), red Sexlinks, Amberlinks and ISA Browns (6 are laying) that are all about 18 weeks now. I'm not sure which one laid the first egg but they were 16 weeks old. That week the "youngins" as I call them, gave me 6 eggs. This week I gathered 22 eggs, up to 6 a day so far but they're only starting week 3 of laying.

Coop 3:
I had 3 14 week old pullets but lost one suddenly just 2 days after losing my adorable Silkie rooster who was 3 1/2 yrs old. Neither of the two are laying yet.

Between the ones that are laying, they gave me 36 eggs this week (12 last week).

In addition to my 25 girls, I have 6 roosters (soon to be 5 once I give one to a neighbor for his girls, they ended up with not 1 rooster from their chicks). I have 1 each in coops 1 and 3 and coop 2 has 4 roosters currently with only minor squabbles, each has their little group.

I'm also raising 6 ducks (1 drake, 5 girls unless 1 more is a drake), 2 are 18-22 weeks, 4 are 14-16 weeks. They were given to me so I can only approximate their ages based on former owner.

Photo is my first egg from my unknown girl in coop 2, it's slightly larger than a Bantam egg.

 

[cmom]

I start my chicks out on medicated 26% protein chick feed and at around 8 weeks I switch them over to 20% grower pellets. They stay on the grower pellets until breeding season, December & January then I switch them over to 20% Breeder pellets during the breeding season. I leave them on the grower during the summer and fall months when they molt. It is higher protein feed and hopefully it will help them when they grow in their new feathers. I really don't worry about what they are eating when they start laying. Some of my breeds have started laying at 16 weeks and others were around 36 weeks.