When do chickens start laying eggs?

[whittychick]

I'm not too sure...I have had 4 egs total! 2 broken and 2 very thin! Keep hoping for the nice solid ones sooooon!

 

[dennymeyrand]

Well, husbands ARE sort of like children sometimes....

I resemble this remark. Mine should start laying any day. I can hardly wait.

 

[itzCelyn]

We were given 5 spectacled type chicks years ago. They were born in March of that year and we got our first egg Aug 8th. when they were exactly 5 months of age. They have since gone and we bought 3 Rhode Island Reds and one Barred Rock. They were all born in March of this year. They are now 6.5 months old and NOTHING!! They crackle every morning but when we rush out to see their first egg there is nothing. My husband put a hardboiled egg in their nest and it is still there. No broken eggs, nothing. I attached a photo of our new coop. We have since added a water system where they have water from 5 nibs and also keep a small container in the nesting area for water. This is our coop and the 3 RI Reds. The BR is 2 weeks younger but larger than the other girls. Anyone know why they would crackle but not lay eggs? I thought they only did that when they were laying an egg??

 

[Jramos]

Our Leghorns just started laying yesterday and we got (although small) five eggs all in one day. They are 18 and 1/2 weeks old and the combs on some are very red. All together we have 51 hens. Leghorns, Rhod Island Reds and Americana. It seems that at least one of our Rhodes might be early as I have been told that reds lay aroung 20 weeks. The day before they started laying. One of them started singing, not the egg song but singing none the less. I thought to myself that maybe this meant they were getting ready to lay. I noticed four other hens started singing with her and voila! We have 5 egss. All layed mid to late morning. As a note, they were all layed in the same spot except for one. In our hen shed we use wood chips and for the nest boxes we placed hay. They don't seem to like the hay much so I have replaced the hay in some withj shaving and left the rest with hay to see what happends. As of this morning we got two more and will check shortly to see if there are any more. We ate the eggs, and maybe be are biased but they sure tast better to us.

 

[sheetmetaltom]

mine are 3 months and 2 days. hoping to get my 1st eggs in march some time. probably good that winters starting so that
I wont be out searching for eggs all the time next month. to cold!

 

[gilcamp4]

I have 29 hens 5 are 1 year old the rest are 27 weeks and this week we started getting eggs, Monday we got 5 tue 3 then wed we got 11 some very small, thru got 12 fri got 11 again and yesterday we got 12 today it was 13, 2 are from new layers as they were very small.

 

[americanchicker]

I got 4 chickens at the end of May 2013.. I got a silkie, a cochin, and a Sussex who were all supposed to be about 6 weeks old, and an Americauna that was supposed to be about 8 weeks old... I got my first egg out of my silkie (of all of them!) in October, and she has been giving me about an egg a day to every other day since! Now its January and she's still laying, and in the freezing temps we've had here in NY, my Americauna just started laying! In the middle of the winter! It was about 8 degrees last night and today there was an egg from each.. I figured if they hadn't started laying by now, I would be waiting til spring. I never thought they would continue, let alone start, laying this time of year.. Has anyone had this happen? Mind you I am not using any lights in the coop!

 

[gilcamp4]

I got 4 chickens at the end of May 2013.. I got a silkie, a cochin, and a Sussex who were all supposed to be about 6 weeks old, and an Americauna that was supposed to be about 8 weeks old... I got my first egg out of my silkie (of all of them!) in October, and she has been giving me about an egg a day to every other day since! Now its January and she's still laying, and in the freezing temps we've had here in NY, my Americauna just started laying! In the middle of the winter! It was about 8 degrees last night and today there was an egg from each.. I figured if they hadn't started laying by now, I would be waiting til spring. I never thought they would continue, let alone start, laying this time of year.. Has anyone had this happen? Mind you I am not using any lights in the coop!

your americauna may only lay for 3 wks then stop for a wk then start again that is what my first one did now we have another one and she lays every day, we were surpised that she lays every day after haveing one stop then start, i never know when i would get one from her. we have 3 we have not got eggs from yet, mine were hatched in may.

 

[whittychick]

I got 4 chickens at the end of May 2013.. I got a silkie, a cochin, and a Sussex who were all supposed to be about 6 weeks old, and an Americauna that was supposed to be about 8 weeks old... I got my first egg out of my silkie (of all of them!) in October, and she has been giving me about an egg a day to every other day since!  Now its January and she's still laying, and in the freezing temps we've had here in NY, my Americauna just started laying!  In the middle of the winter!  It was about 8 degrees last night and today there was an egg from each.. I figured if they hadn't started laying by now, I would be waiting til spring.  I never thought they would continue, let alone start, laying this time of year.. Has anyone had this happen?  Mind you I am not using any lights in the coop!

Yes! Same thing happened to me! My girls haven't laid since October and now that its freezing they're laying! Too funny! I do not use a lamp either! Getting 6 eggs out of 10 girls a day! Works for me

 

[gilcamp4]

Yes! Same thing happened to me! My girls haven't laid since October and now that its freezing they're laying! Too funny! I do not use a lamp either! Getting 6 eggs out of 10 girls a day! Works for me

we have 29 hens and get 22 eggs a day 2 roosters