When will they start to lay? Egg-spert opinions wanted! :)

[kristenm1975]

I have 7 pullets, all about 4 months old. Here are the breeds:

- Silver Spangled Hamburg
- Giant Blue Cochin
- Rhode Island Red
- Ameraucana
- Olive-Egger
- Black Copper Maran
- Welsummer

Any ideas as to when I can expect the first eggs? I know I'm in for a long wait on the cochin. That's okay. She's so gorgeous, she earns her keep just strutting around with all those beautiful blue feathers.

 

[citychickinthecountry]

I have Bantams of two of the breeds you are asking about.

My Cochin laid her first egg at 32 weeks...yes, you'll probably have to wait until THE DAY your pullet is 32 weeks old before you'll get eggs.

She is a great layer when she isn't broody!

My Ameraucana laid her first egg at 21 1/2 weeks.

Most pullets won't lay eggs before 18 weeks and usually lay by 32 weeks. Some breeds take longer than 32 weeks...so I'm told. Luckily, I haven't had any of those breeds yet. In fact, one of my pullets (I believe her to be a Rheinlander Bantam) has surprised me with 2 eggs over the past 2 or 3 days that I wasn't expecting yet. She's almost 19 weeks.

Hopefully you'll get more opinions soon. Good luck.

 

[Dora'smom]

Birds mature at different rates within breeds, so it is difficult to know when that first egg will arrive. Some of the things you will notice before laying include face, comb and wattles becoming deep red, and the bird will sometimes "squat" with her wings slightly out to the sides, when you reach for her, or even move around her.
The only breeds that you and I have in common are the RIR's (ours laid at around 20 weeks), the Welsummer (which laid at about 10 months) and we have EE's---I don't know if that is what you have, or if you have true Ameraucanas---but our EE's laid at about 6 months, and at about 10 months. Hope that helps.

 

[kristenm1975]

Sounds like patience is required here. Sigh. Lucky for me, they're so entertaining, I sometimes forget they're in my backyard because I wanted eggs. If they were all going to lay brown or white eggs, I likely wouldn't be so impatient, but I handpicked them because they represent the whole spectrum of egg colors out there (that I know of!). It's so hard to wait for that first easter basket full of egg-rainbows.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Happy Chooks]

My RIR laid at 20 weeks, my BCM started at 19 1/2 weeks (the other BCM followed a week later), my 1st wellie girl started at 24 weeks (a week later for the other one), my pure Ameraucana's at almost 23 weeks.