When do chickens lay (breed dependent!!)

[Sloane Chickens]

We have a mixed flock. And I’m curious when they typically will start laying? In your experience/knowledge!

Our flock consists of:

- Brahma
- Araucana
- Frizzle x Araucana
- Easter Egger
- Pekin Bantam
- Belgian D’uccle
- Lavender Sussex
- Polish

 

[HonkABC]

I have a Polish, D'uccle and an Easter Egger, and they lay around 5ish months.

 

[Sloane Chickens]

I have a Polish, D'uccle and an Easter Egger, and they lay around 5ish months

Good to know! Google says most will lay around the same time but that Brahmas can take longer due to size.
So it’ll be interesting to hear other verdicts!

 

[ChookaPete]

My Hy-Lines started around six months old.


My Leghorn Cross started a bit earlier, around five months old.

I have three Light Sussex chickens but they are still a few months old.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have very few of your breeds and since we are on different sides of the equator those do not share a close gene pool. For this kind of stuff I believe the person that selects which chickens get to breed has an influence on the answers. A lot depends on what traits they select for or against. Some are more interested in breeding for breed traits like comb type, eye color, body shape, feather color/pattern, skin color and many other breed traits than egg laying.

For most breeds you can find ages that most are supposed to start to lay. How well they follow this has some to do with what criteria the person selecting the breeders uses. But importantly that is just an average. Many will follow that schedule but some will be very early or very late. If you have enough of a specific breed you can predict when most should start to lay, but if you only a few you may have some of the very early ones or very late ones.

Mine are mostly production type chickens including Sussex, Delaware, Australorp, Orpington, and Rocks. I've had some start laying at 16 weeks. I had some not start until 9 months. Those are rare extremes. Typically if I have 10 pullets, one or two are laying by 20 weeks, six or seven are laying by 24 weeks, the rest are usually laying by 28 weeks. Of course this varies every year.

Several of yours are more decorative breeds than production breeds. I'd expect them to be later on average and probably vary even more. It is fun to anticipate what will happen, I do that myself. But don't be shocked if some start early and don't give up hope if some are late.

Good luck!

 

[Sloane Chickens]

I have very few of your breeds and since we are on different sides of the equator those do not share a close gene pool. For this kind of stuff I believe the person that selects which chickens get to breed has an influence on the answers. A lot depends on what traits they select for or against. Some are more interested in breeding for breed traits like comb type, eye color, body shape, feather color/pattern, skin color and many other breed traits than egg laying.

For most breeds you can find ages that most are supposed to start to lay. How well they follow this has some to do with what criteria the person selecting the breeders uses. But importantly that is just an average. Many will follow that schedule but some will be very early or very late. If you have enough of a specific breed you can predict when most should start to lay, but if you only a few you may have some of the very early ones or very late ones.

Mine are mostly production type chickens including Sussex, Delaware, Australorp, Orpington, and Rocks. I've had some start laying at 16 weeks. I had some not start until 9 months. Those are rare extremes. Typically if I have 10 pullets, one or two are laying by 20 weeks, six or seven are laying by 24 weeks, the rest are usually laying by 28 weeks. Of course this varies every year.

Several of yours are more decorative breeds than production breeds. I'd expect them to be later on average and probably vary even more. It is fun to anticipate what will happen, I do that myself. But don't be shocked if some start early and don't give up hope if some are late.

Good luck!

Yeah we aren’t expecting any layers until spring/summer (it’s autumn now, then winter!) just curious!

We used to have Australorps but I got them as adults - we did add light Sussex in but I have no idea when she started laying (can’t remember. Facebook might lol).

Thank you!!