Hello so we have 5 laying hens (plus a Roo) and I was curious when they would start laying. Now I know some chickens take a longer time to lay but they're 21 weeks old and no sign of an egg from anyone. All of the sources I've looked have different answers. Please tell me at about which time each breed will lay! We have: 1 Black Australorp 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte 1 Road Island Red 2 Amerucanas
The wait is always hard! There are so many factors that it is hard to give an acurrate date. Even within the same breed the type of breeder can make a difference. Hatchery birds tend to start a little earlier and breeder birds a little later. For the average bird of common breeds, like your birds, 24 weeks is generally considered a good average from most sources. In my experience anywhere from 4-8 months is still in the normal range so if you pass 24 weeks don't panic yet. Watch for their combs and wattles to turn a nice bright red and for them to start squatting when you approach. They might also start checking on the nesting boxes. All of these behaviors indicate they are almost there.
