Input please: when did your girls start laying?

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

In my current obsession, When The Heck Will They Lay, I thought maybe I would appeal to my chicken gurus...

Can you more experienced folks list your chicken breeds, and at what age each laid their first egg? I think they'll be some variation, but it'll help the waiting!!


Thanks!
Meghan

 

[Country Gal]

I've got 13 hens - buff orpingtons, SLW, and light brahmas. I'm not sure which hens are laying yet (I think I'm up to 6 layers right now), but I do know for sure that some of my BO and SLW are laying, having caught the brahmas in the nest boxes yet.

I got my first egg at 20 weeks, which was September 7th. The others quickly started following suit... as soon as I get excited "oh, I've got 4 hens laying now!" the next day I get 5 eggs out of the coop.

 

[LynnGrigg]

Maybe we need to do an Egg Dance. Mine are 21 weeks today and no eggs yet. I have seen my roo doing the deed with one of the Red Star hens. soooo....maybe soon?! I really want my EEs to start laying. I want some blue-green eggs.

 

[ml]

Normally a roo will take intrest two weeks before the first egg. Roos do seem to be clued in on this. My RIR and Barred Rocks took the longest April to Nov. Others were April to Sept.

Silkies a whole different matter.

Hope that gives you a idea.

ML

 

[thndrdancr]

My Red X Link started laying at 16 1/2 weeks, and my EE started at 22 weeks.

Good luck!

 

[GAhen]

One of my EE's started things off at 21 weeks as well as my cute little Partridge rock.
Just had BO to start laying this week-end at 26 weeks....I am still waiting on 1 BO, 3 RIR,
2 BR, 1 EE and 1 SLW to start............Maybe I should do the chicken dance today......

 

[Smitty's Farm]

All of my chickens were hatched on April 11 and they will be 25 wks on Wed. If it makes you feel any better...I am still waiting for some to lay. I have 4 SLW pullet & 1 SLW (surprise) roo,
6 RIR, 5 Araucana/ Ameraucana.

One of my SLW was the first to lay on Aug 24 @ 20 wks, one of RIR were the next to follow the next wed @ 21 wks. I was only getting 1 - 2 eggs a day.

Then at 23 wks old cooler weather seem to kick the rest of the RIR's in gear. It was so exciting everyday to see how many eggs I would get. (4, then 5, then 6 then 7)

One of the Araucana's laid their first pretty olive egg on Sept 20 @ 24 wks old. That day I collected a total of 8 eggs.

Still waiting for the remaining 3 SLW and 4 Araucana/Ameraucana to lay.

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

Well I have a mixture of a few different breeds (41 hens all together)... Now, If I can remember all of their laying... The week that I put is when I had at least one laying of that breed

Barred rock 17 weeks
Buff Orps 18+ weeks
RIR first batch started laying at 18/19 weeks the second batch at 17 weeks
Light brahma 19 weeks
Partridge Rock 18/19 weeks
silver laced and golden laced polish still not laying

As of today my babies are 24 weeks and 20 weeks (rir & pr)

I only have 20 hens laying still waiting on the other 20.

Have fun... I know how you feel... it drove us crazy having to wait!!!

 

[equine chick]

I got a variety of chickens this year and not all are laying yet. They are different ages. The first to lay was a 20 week old ee and the next was the 23 week barred rock. The earliest was my redstars last week at 17 weeks. This weekend my delawares started at 18 weeks and oh my god are their eggs huge! They are bigger than my large storebought eggs i have leftover. I could not even close the egg carton all the way. I thought it was a double yolk for being large but no, just singles. Needless to say ordering more delawares next year.

 

[Southern28Chick]

My girls are all 21 weeks old. I have 23 pullets. Let me see if I can get this right:

Boo (Barred Rock) laid first at 19 weeks
Purdy (EE) second at 19 and a half
Red Robin at close to 20 weeks
Turkey and Bertha (EEs) about 20 weeks
Unknown RIR at 20 weeks
Unknown White Leghorns (three of them) around 20 weeks
Squealer (Barred Rock) just laid her first yesterday...1 day shy of 21 weeks

I still have 13 pullets to go but I'm drowning in eggs. I have 2 and a half dozen in the frig.