When would a Barred rock start laying eggs

[Jenna14Chicken]

I no this is a older sight but I'm just wondering if Partridge Plymouth rocks and Columbian rocks will be around the same since they are all rocks? Just wondering, Thanks

 

[lazy gardener]

No matter the breed you are raising, there are MANY variables that go into determining how soon a bird will start to lay: Particular strain of that breed, parentage within the strain, how much protein, hours of day length, free range, even fermented feed can affect POL. Case in point: I live in a small community, essentially, there are 2 places to buy feed, and my friends use the same source. Several years in a row, I had chicks from the same source, purchased on the same day as several of my friends, and in fact, I provided chicks from my flock to some of those friends. On every occasion, my birds started laying on average 2 weeks before my friends birds. My flock gets either chick starter (un-medicated) or multi-flock while I'm raising chicks, and that feed is fermented. A lot of flock keepers will say that it's better to keep the protein down when raising chicks so that they don't start laying too early. (This gives them time to grow larger before reaching sexual maturity, in theory.) So, I really can't say if my flocks are over the course of time, better layers than my friends flocks or not. But, I can say that my flock is healthy, has excellent feathering, and good health.

 

[vllang]

I have a barred rock I know she was born this year and she is good sized she still has down on her underside and is beginning to get her tail feathers. I wonder if anyone could estimate her age. She only has about 5 or six curly tail feathers about 3 to 4 inches long. I was told she and the Americana I got from the same store are about the same age. Neither of these birds is laying. I also got two Rhode Island Reds and they are laying.