Just as a hen squats to lay an egg, she will start to demonstrate this behavior just before she is ready to start laying. If a chicken lays an egg in the afternoon, they may delay laying an egg the next day since chickens don't lay eggs at night. Molts usually last about eight to sixteen weeks. This behavior is often misinterpreted as a sign of affection when really, it’s a reproductive behavior and you are triggering it by serving as the dominant presence in the chicken coop. The Happy Chicken Coop - All Rights Reserved. If your hens should have started laying weeks ago, but you’ve yet to see any signs of egg production, think about whether they are laying eggs somewhere besides the nest boxes you’ve created. Pullets typically begin to lay eggs as early as 20 weeks of age; however, you might happen to notice that the larger breeds tend to begin laying eggs closer to six months of age. These are often considered hybrid breeds, and they start laying at around sixteen to eighteen weeks of age. Pullets are chickens between 4 months and a year old.Basically? However, certain factors such as chicken breed, freshwater, parasite infestation, stress, proper nutrition, access to nesting boxes and molting can impact the start of egg-laying. Once chickens are ready to begin laying eggs at around 20 weeks, they will produce their peak amount of eggs for 2-3 years. Chickens vs Guinea Hens: How to Choose Which to Raise, Introducing New Chickens to Your Flock (How-To Guide). While most hens will start laying between 4 & 6 months old, it might just be a little too early for your hen to lay. No. Coop Security. SET THE MOOD One nest box should be available for every four layers in the flock. 2) hens are too old to lay: Egg production in most hens slows down after age two. Having to conduct an Easter Egg hunt to find the eggs! You can, however, put wooden eggs, plastic Easter eggs, or golf balls inside the nest boxes. Congratulations! Change the water frequently and consider using nipple drinkers to streamline the process. these, as the scent can be too strong at times). Help support our family and channel! Some chickens will lay one or two pullet eggs, while others will lay far more. Commercial farming of eggs in the US averages out at 276 eggs, in Australia at 200 eggs (at the rate of 5 eggs per week), and Canada at 320 eggs per year. This means that a chicken can lay an egg at 8 am, begin ovulation, and be ready to lay by 10 am the following day. So, to answer the original question- broadly speaking the majority of breeds will start to lay around 16-20 weeks. The short answer is – it varies! Pullets, or young hens, generally reach laying age at around sixteen weeks of age – although this can be slightly older or younger depending on the breed. Most hens start to lay at around twenty weeks of age. So, when will our backyard chicken start laying eggs? Hens lay eggs whether there's a male in the flock or not. Insufficient Daylight. You want to increase day length in order to drive your hens to lay. Open Areas. Chicken breeds that are developed primarily for high egg production may start laying soon after they reach four months of age. Not all chickens will lay petite-sized pullet eggs when they first start laying. Inspect Regularly. If the bones are crowded close together, laying is not going to be any time soon. Some suggest that Australorps can begin laying eggs between 16 and 18 weeks. The first year of a chicken’s life will usually be the best from an egg-laying perspective. So now, all that’s left to do is watch and wait. They are teenage chickens that are just about ready to lay their first eggs. Silkie chickens, for example, take a while to lay and are therefore kept by backyard chicken keepers more for ornamental or showing purposes rather than for their egg production. Generally, chickens that are heavier will also take longer to start laying eggs. Until female chickens are one year of age, they are called pullets. While you should be feeding your birds chick starter for the first six weeks of life, which has up to twenty-two percent protein, you will need to adjust your feeding schedule and type once the birds surpass six weeks. Once they do start laying though they are egg machines! 9 Years. When do chickens start to lay eggs? Time of year. Additional Reading: 20 Best Egg Laying Chickens Often, chickens who are deficient in calcium will lay eggs that are weak, misshapen, or malformed in some way. Parasite Control. Collect the eggs regularly Collecting eggs regularly is not only one of the greatest joys of keeping chickens, it is also an important thing to do. But like us, they slow down as they age. your chickens have identical patterns, laying behaviors, or volumes. Take the time now to prepare your nest boxes for your girls. However, there are cases when your hens simply won’t lay eggs even after 30 weeks. Over the years, we have had some extra-early overachievers along with our fair share of late bloomers, but found that around 20 to 22 weeks was the most common age for our chickens to start laying eggs. Hens start to lay at 4-5 months of age but don’t produce regularly until about 7 months. (a little bit) easier. When Will They Start to Lay? stage all the way up to three years of age – you might not find that all of Even if you are feeding the perfect layer feed, if you aren’t providing your chickens with enough of it, you may run into problems. A chicken (called a pullet until she is a year old), begins laying eggs when she is about 18 to 20 weeks old or so. The most common reason for chickens to stop laying is … Some chickens won’t lay as pullets at all – and they’ll go from laying no eggs right to full-sized eggs. Please seek advice from a certified veterinarian in a case of emergency. You may notice that your hens are spending more time inside or engaging in other odd behaviors just before they are ready to lay their first eggs. The first few weeks of egg production may be a bit irregular for your hens. Choosing Pullets. The age at which a healthy hen lays her first egg depends, in large part, on her breed. Most hens will only produce about three solid years of egg production before they begin to decrease. You can’t exactly set your watch by laying age, as it is highly variable. Without a rooster the eggs will not be fertile, so would never have the capacity to grow into chicks. You only need about 25 watts of incandescent light for every square foot to encourage your hens to lay. A sick chicken will lay poorly. Brahma Chicken: The Definitive Breed Guide, Silkie Chicken Breed Guide: Care, Background, and How-To Guide, Can Chickens Swim? While a hen will not develop the massive wattles and comb that a rooster has, she will develop wattles that are large and red just before she starts to lay. Frequently Asked Questions about Chickens for Eggs and Meat 1. These boxes should be elevated off the floor in the darkest corner of the coop. 3 easy ways to tell when they are ready. You can use crushed oyster shell or even crush up eggshells to feed back to them. So how do you know that your hen has laid her first egg – beyond actually finding it in the nest box, of course? Lots and lots of people ask me this question. A good way to resolve this is to provide your hens with proper housing via chicken tractors or enclosed runs or to lock them in the coop until there is no longer a threat. We publish weekly guides and articles written by experienced chicken enthusiasts! This results in healthy chickens laying about 5 to 6 eggs per week. When a pullet begins to lay her first eggs… – take a moment to think things through. If you want to get more technical about things, pick your chicken up. They may choose to share nest boxes, but forcing them to share is a recipe for broken eggs, egg-eating, stress and a reduced egg production.Place nest box material such as nest pads and liners in the nests with or without chopped straw or pine shavings on top to break the fall of the egg from the hen. Just keep in mind that you will need to adjust your feeding patterns slightly as your hens move into the laying stage – and we will address this particular issue later on in the article. How To Store Your Chickens’ Freshly Laid Eggs. High in protein to help chickens’ grow back their feathers. When a hen doesn’t have enough protein, nutrients, or calcium in her diet, it can cause her to stop laying eggs. Even if your pullet is ready to lay in January, she might wait until the days are longer. Hens tend to slow in their egg production during the colder months, not just because of the temperature, but because the amount of available daylight is drastically reduced. Calcium. Between the natural tendency of chickens to scratch bedding (and poop) into their waterers, you should make your best efforts to elevate your waterer and keep it clean. Araucana chickens start laying eggs between 20-24 weeks’ of age. Hens aren’t born ready to lay eggs from day one. Other breeds, like Easter Eggers, will produce plenty of eggs for you. This means that for the first seven months, the hens won’t come anywhere close to an egg a day. when your chicken is in the early stages of its laying days – think from pullet For added privacy and a reduced likelihood of egg breakage or eating, you can also hang curtains over the entrance of the box. Some chicken breeds such as Sex Links, Australorps, Golden Comets, and Leghorns can start laying eggs as early as 17-19 weeks. When do chickens start laying eggs? Chickens, for the most part, start laying eggs somewhere between 4.5 and 6 months of age. However, they will take more time to start laying (though not quite as long as breeds like Silkies). Diet effects egg laying ability, and it’s frequently people who aren’t feeding their flocks a good, high protein diet who email me asking “how often do chickens lay eggs?” because they’re frustrated with their hens. You may notice that your hen has become increasingly curious about your nest boxes. Made from galvanized steel making it very durable and rust proof, Heavy Duty making it much harder to flip over, Steel construction making it compatible with heater bases. At 18 weeks, switch to a Purina® complete chicken layer feed to provide the added calcium laying hens need to produce an egg each day. As previously mentioned, you can put fake eggs of some sort in the boxes to encourage your hens to lay in the proper area. 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