Will point of lay be delayed due to winter?

[BWchicken]

Hi. I'm wondering if my bantam pullets' point of lay will be delayed until spring (or until days get longer). I know laying hens slow down or stop laying during winter, so I'm wondering how pullets close to laying age are affected. My 12 girls are 18 week old bantams, different breeds:

white wyandottes
buff brahmas
sebrights
barred rocks
easter eggers

I haven't seen any signs of POL and my 8 month old d'uccle roo isn't interested in mating them yet (he's such a gentleman). I don't mind if they wait til spring to lay, I love having them around anyway, just wondering whether to expect their first eggs during the winter.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I would like to know too.

 

[Jim from Cincinnati]

I am very interested in the answer too. I have 3 16 week old Hamburg pullets.

 

[Mahonri]

Don't know about cold weather climes but summer delays point of lay here in the desert southwest.

 

[louloubean]

i hope you all post the answer!
i don't know either!

 

[msgenie516]

Hi,

From my experience, I would say you need to add a light to the coop to get them to start laying on time. I have some pullets that were due to start laying in September/October and didn't do anything until I added some light. Now they are laying like crazy! However, this may differ depending on the breeds. Good luck!

Genie

 

[Reinbeau]

I don't have bantams, but they're all chickens

Mine came into lay in October 2008, and they laid like crazy all winter. This is now their second winter, and I'm getting virtually nothing, maybe one, maybe two, every other day from 14 hens. They are molting, it's dark and cold, they'll start again in the spring, I guess.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know if there is a standard answer to your question. Mine are about 30 weeks old, hatched the middle of May. My days have been less than 10 hours of daylight for a bit and I do not provide extra light. I have had temperatures in the teens a few times and single digits once. My first one started laying at 18 weeks, then two more at 20 weeks, then 2 more at 23 weeks. All were laying by 28 weeks.

Out of 13 pullets of the breeds you can see in my signature, I got 13, 8, 11, 11, 8, 12, 8, and 11 on successive days. I have heard that young pullets don't know that they are supposed to not lay in the darker colder days. I think it may be related to them not molting as the length of day changes since they just finished their last juvenile molt. I really don't know the why of it. I have read on here of others having experiences similar to mine, and I have readof plenty whose pullets do not lay until spring. I do not know what triggers one group and not the other.

With yours, I'd suggest having the nesting boxes open to them and putting fake eggs in to show them where to lay. Even with springlike weather and longer days, it could be several weeks before pullets the age of yours start to lay or you could get your first egg today.

I just saw Reinbeau's post. Sounds like an experience similar to mine except her's are a year older.

Good luck!

 

[GwenDellAnno]

Interesting question. That's what I wondered too. My chickens are just now starting to lay. I have 4 Barnevelders... 2 have just started laying in the last week at 31 and 32 weeks. I'm expecting the other two to start any day. I have 4 Easter Eggers. Three are already laying (started at 25 and 26 weeks) and the fourth I'm expecting a "solid" egg today. (She's already layed two rubbery ones under the roost that have been eaten ~ this happened with the other three and they haven't seemed to keep up the habit once the eggs are solid.... THANKFULLY!!!) She is 30 weeks. So.... the question is..... did day length delay point of lay for my chickens???? I don't know. Does anyone have the scientific answer for this one?

 

[werecatrising]

I got my firtst batch of chickens in late summer. Wasn't expecting eggs until next spring. A few started laying at 16 weeks, some at 20. I have been getting 5 a day from the 6 that are old enough. All good eggs- no shell-less etc. And this is in 3 feet of snow.