white rock chickens

[mamamutt231]

I have 6 white rock chickens we got as babies they are about 7 months old and they do not lay eggs, how long does it take them to start laying ? we have other chickens and they are laying but not these.

 

[Fred's Hens]

This depends on the quality of their breeding. If they are closer to classic, heirloom, heritage Rocks, they can take up to 36 weeks to begin laying. If they are hatchery stock that has had Leghorn mixed into them, they can often begin laying as early as 24 weeks. These supposed to be large fowl and take time to mature.

Patience. It won't be too much longer now.

 

[Majd]

They should start any day.... they're a little late but that's normal. .... pics??

 

[Cindy in PA]

This depends on the quality of their breeding. If they are closer to classic, heirloom, heritage Rocks, they can take up to 36 weeks to begin laying. If they are hatchery stock that has had Leghorn mixed into them, they can often begin laying as early as 24 weeks. These supposed to be large fowl and take time to mature.

Patience. It won't be too much longer now.

Who mixes leghorns with White Rocks?? Never heard of it.

 

[donrae]

Who mixes leghorns with White Rocks?? Never heard of it.

Probably every hatchery!

Seriously, hatchery stock is probably all infused with some leghorn at some point, to boost production. Folks buy hatchery birds and want fast maturing hens who lay early and often, and leghorn blood is the key to those. A hatchery hen of pretty much any given breed is smaller, lays earlier and more often than a true heritage hen of the same breed. It's basic supply and demand.

 

[donrae]

I have 6 white rock chickens we got as babies they are about 7 months old and they do not lay eggs, how long does it take them to start laying ? we have other chickens and they are laying but not these.

Can you post pics of your birds?

The only other thing I can think of is, do you free range? If so, you need to either confine them for a few days or go on an intense egg hunt!

 

[Fred's Hens]

donrae is right.






The White Rock was developed soon after the Standard was written for the Barred, the original Rock, and mostly from sports out of the BR, at the turn of the last century.

A true bred Rock, even with the very best selection and high quality modern diet will only lay 220 eggs a year, at the very top. Rocks of the early 20th century and their heritage, heirloom preserved offspring of today, grow much, much slower, feather in much slower, will attain much larger size and frame and often do not approach point of lay until 30 weeks and often much later. In the 1930's a great Rock hen might, might lay 180 eggs per year. That's it. It was quite acceptable because the Rock was a true, dual purpose bird, not just a layer breed, per se.

It is fairly easy to see the Mediterranean blood in most of the hatchery Rocks photos put up here. The combs on the females are too large, often too floppy, the body is light and narrow, the barring is too cuckoo, the tails are high, etc. But, these hatchery birds often lay as early at 18 weeks and will lay heavy. That's what makes the hatcheries money and it is what most folks want in a backyard bird.

So?

It is what it is.