Will winter delay my FIRST EGG????

[aoxa]

I have a polish hen that is 8 months old and not laying.

It's so cold here, that the water is freezing.. My girls are still laying. Just collected a half frozen egg

You should have no problems.

 

[cukooformarans]

I have some wheaten marans that are 30 weeks old and have not started to lay yet ... but they are known to start a little later than other breeds ... oh well, the extra wait will just make the first egg more exciting!

 

[bufforp89]

I can not for the life of me remember who on BYC quoted this first but here goes "CHICKENS ARE NOT VENDING MACHINES!"

Seriously though they will lay when they are ready and not a minute before, not uncommon for some breeds to not lay until their 7-8th month.

You shouldn't have any issues with the weather. I have had chickens lay their first eggs in the middle of a freezing cold winter here in good 'ol NYS and actually have 3 that should start laying December some time. Its all about the light.

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
Chickens are not vending machines, but waiting for your first egg is torture.

We didn't want to eat ours! We were way too excited and wanted to show it to everyone we knew.

If only everyone else was as ecstatic as we were!

You'll get them. Try not to think about it too much (I know it's hard!), but they will lay eventually. It will be well worth the wait.