Youngest pullet to lay an egg?

[WingItRanch]

Is molting that predictable though? My EEs and Wyandottes all molted in June, and then my rooster started at the end of July. Now one of my new young Wyandottes (whom I got in July) is in the middle of a molt, but her sisters aren't.

I have no clue! I know that they typically don't have a full molt in their first year when they are babies but have a few adolescent molts. It's been incredibly hot here but not sure if that has anything to do with it. I don't think it's all my breeds. Appears to be mainly my heavier ones like my Olive Egger cockerel and my Barred Rock. My EEs. Ancona, Australorp, and Welsummers seem completely unaffected.

Also, still no eggs today lol

 

[FunnyBunny89]

I have no clue! I know that they typically don't have a full molt in their first year when they are babies but have a few adolescent molts. It's been incredibly hot here but not sure if that has anything to do with it. I don't think it's all my breeds. Appears to be mainly my heavier ones like my Olive Egger cockerel and my Barred Rock. My EEs. Ancona, Australorp, and Welsummers seem completely unaffected.

Also, still no eggs today lol

Yeah okay, that's similar to my experience. My EEs did the most molting but it wasn't a heavy molt, and it started at the beginning of that two and a half week heatwave. I assumed the heat had something to do with it but someone on here said heat doesn't affect it so idk. Maybe their age just happened to line up with the heatwave (4-5 months old at the time). My australorp was largely unaffected too! I think she dropped a couple tail feathers but that's all. Innnnteresting.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

I have no clue! I know that they typically don't have a full molt in their first year when they are babies but have a few adolescent molts. It's been incredibly hot here but not sure if that has anything to do with it. I don't think it's all my breeds. Appears to be mainly my heavier ones like my Olive Egger cockerel and my Barred Rock. My EEs. Ancona, Australorp, and Welsummers seem completely unaffected.

Also, still no eggs today lol

Maybe after they molt, they'll be ready to lay eggs then!

 

[WingItRanch]

Yeah okay, that's similar to my experience. My EEs did the most molting but it wasn't a heavy molt, and it started at the beginning of that two and a half week heatwave. I assumed the heat had something to do with it but someone on here said heat doesn't affect it so idk. Maybe their age just happened to line up with the heatwave (4-5 months old at the time). My australorp was largely unaffected too! I think she dropped a couple tail feathers but that's all. Innnnteresting.

Maybe the Aussies are better tolerant of the heat? I know the Ancona doesn't even pant when it gets over 100.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

Maybe the Aussies are better tolerant of the heat? I know the Ancona doesn't even pant when it gets over 100.

I'm not sure about that, my Aussie was the first one to pant when the heat came lol. She also started laying later. My EEs seem best equipped for the heat. My poor Wyandottes really struggled but I got them through it.

To clarify, the heavy panters were my Australorp and the Wyandottes and that's my gauge for heat tolerance. All of them lifted their wings on the really hot days.

 

[WingItRanch]

22 weeks old and not a single egg from my girls. Something I did notice is a behavior change. They seem to be VERY chatty lately. Way more talkative than before. Has anyone observed this as a sign before laying an egg?

I feed them 20% Flock Maker and they have access to crushed oyster. I've seen them peck at it. They do fluff around in the nest boxes.

The cockerel has started to attempt mating. He grabbed the neck of a couple girls but let go immediately when they yelled at him. I saw him wing dance twice for my australorp and she didn't run away from him like the others typically do. But she didn't squat either.

 

[FrostRanger]

Idk, my EEs were my first panters, surprisingly my buff orpington Juniper is the most heat tolerant of the bunch which is surprisingly as they're usually on the list of breeds not known for heat hardiness

 

[FunnyBunny89]

22 weeks old and not a single egg from my girls. Something I did notice is a behavior change. They seem to be VERY chatty lately. Way more talkative than before. Has anyone observed this as a sign before laying an egg?

I feed them 20% Flock Maker and they have access to crushed oyster. I've seen them peck at it. They do fluff around in the nest boxes.

The cockerel has started to attempt mating. He grabbed the neck of a couple girls but let go immediately when they yelled at him. I saw him wing dance twice for my australorp and she didn't run away from him like the others typically do. But she didn't squat either.

Yes! My ladies definitely got more vocal as they got closer to laying. Now that they are laying, they're just squawking and singing all day long, every day it's interesting to hear the different tones between the Easter Eggers, the Wyandottes, and the Australorp. My Wyandottes are definitely the most shrill!

 

[WingItRanch]

Yes! My ladies definitely got more vocal as they got closer to laying. Now that they are laying, they're just squawking and singing all day long, every day it's interesting to hear the different tones between the Easter Eggers, the Wyandottes, and the Australorp. My Wyandottes are definitely the most shrill!

Good to know! I went out to clean out their water yesterday afternoon and all of them were just talking like crazy. Usually they're a quiet bunch. I was surprised!

 

[FunnyBunny89]

This was Teddy at the very beginning of laying. She's a lot more lengthy with her calls now