Will hens that come of age in late November not lay till spring?

[Aleisha]

Hi,

We are raising our first small flock. The chicks hatched mid-July and have just reached egg laying age. I'm wondering if, because of the time of year, we should not expect eggs until spring.

 

[blueseal]

what breeds do you have . they should lay before spring. i have some rhode island reds and black sexlinks that are just starting to lay at 20 and 22 weeks old.

 

[Aleisha]

We have a Buff Orpington, 2 Americaunas, 2 Silkies, and one Bantam Frizzle. Plus a sweet little white leghorn roo. The Americaunas joined our flock recently. They are a a few weeks older and each laid one egg when they arrived two weeks ago but we've seen nothing since. Maybe it's the day light or the stress of coming into a new flock?

 

[LALASD4]

I have 2 pullets that just started.

 

[viktoriacl]

I had one start today! She is about 30 weeks! Still waiting for three others!

 

[woodmort]

Short answer--No. When first-year layers are ready to start they will, regardless of season or weather. On the other hand, they may not lay as often and, depending on breed, take their own sweet time about starting, but they will lay

 

[Aleisha]

Thanks for the replies! What are EEs and some of the other acronyms I've been reading?

 

[JosieChick]

EE is easter egger. They are a mix breed chicken that lays colored eggs (typically) Our EE Daisy lays blue eggs!

 

[Minniechickmama]

I just had a Silkie start laying about a week ago, and she was the only one of close to 50 to lay a couple of days. She was hatched in March from a breeder. I have another one that started laying 2months ago and is younger than her. It all depends on the bird. I have quite a few Giants and Orps that hatched in mid June, so I don't expect to see eggs from them very young. I will take them as they come though and not complain. It is just balancing out the times when I am flooded with eggs.


Aleisha,
Stick around on here and you will learn a lot. There are stickies for different subjects too that you can check out. There are lots of very knowledgeable folks on there that have been raising chickens for a long time.
Good luck with your clucks.

 

[spartacus_63]

Do you use artificial light in the coop? If the girls don't get enough light, they may wait to lay.