When do chickens start laying eggs?

[whittychick]

Hi y'all! I have 2 girls and a rooster and 7 babies! I'm waiting for my 20 week old girls to start laying! I'm a rookie at this and I don't want the eggs to get fertilized! What and how do I prevent this! I want eggs to eat! Not more chicks!!!!

 

[ATMac1962]

Well it's been 18 weeks for me and still no eggs. I have a Gold sex-link, New Hampshire Red, Barred Rock, Brahma, Redcap, Red lace Wyandottes! I think the boss hen Ethel the gold sex-link will be the 1st to lay an egg. Her comb & waddle are getting bigger & she is soooo vocal! Seems like she's always B!TCHing

like a pregnant woman...No offence ladies! Cannot wait!

 

[FrogEggs]

Hi y'all! I have 2 girls and a rooster and 7 babies! I'm waiting for my 20 week old girls to start laying! I'm a rookie at this and I don't want the eggs to get fertilized! What and how do I prevent this! I want eggs to eat! Not more chicks!!!!

You can eat fertilized eggs. So if you don't want chicks, just refrigerate the eggs.

 

[ATMac1962]

If u don't want fertile eggs, the rooster

would have to go! When I was young we lived on a farm and ate fertile eggs all the time. As long as you collect them right away you wouldn't know the difference. As a child I remember if a receipt called for eggs, my grandmother always broke them in a separate bowl because it was not uncommon for an older egg to slip by and have a chick

forming inside. Yuck!

 

[whittychick]

Oh yew! Hoping I get to them before that!

 

[chicken feeder]

Chickens lay eggs about 5 to 8 months. I found that a fake egg (wooden) helps them lay right beside it. Love getting those fresh eggs for the morning..the kids love to gather them.

 

[ATMac1962]

Got my 1st egg @ 19 weeks from my gold sex-link "Ethel".

It's been 3 days & that's the only egg so far!

It's true what they say, when their comb & waddle get big & red, soon will come an egg. I think 3 of my other hens will start laying any day, they're all the same age but different breeds (6 hens). I feel like a child waiting for gifts!

 

[Douza]

My 18 week hen layed an egg yesterday. I have four hens and dont know which hen layed it. I let tgem out of the coop most days although thry were in the coop for two days. I just happened to check the nesting box. I couldnt believe it. The box was empty this morning. Is it common for hens to lay one day and not t house e next?

 

[whittychick]

Well I've only received 1 egg so far! And my girls are 21 weeks but different breeds. Patiently waiting for more!!!

 

[angelfan]

One of our hens layed an egg the size of the dime in the one picture. Can I assume this is the first egg for the hen? We have two that have not layed yet.