Official BYC Poll: When Did Your Hen/s Begin Laying Eggs?

[wolfinator]

Earliest was a sexlink at 15 weeks. Most of them laid between 18 and 24 weeks (sexlink varieties, Australorps, RIR, Cuckoo Marans, Welsummers, Wyandottes, Orpingtons, and similar sized breeds). My larger breeds, Jersey Giants and Brahmas didn't lay until about 8-9 months old. My 10 month old dark Brahma was the latest to start laying last week. I have about 40 that lay 3-6 days a week. I have another 10 that are older who rarely or don't lay any longer, they're mostly sexlink varieties over 3-4 years old.

I also have a 9 month old Mallard duck who started laying last month, she averages 4 eggs a week. I have a 3 year old, 9 2 year olds and an 8 month old Runner ducks but I'm lucky to get 2-3 eggs a week from them right now. So much for wanting to incubate Runner duck eggs.

I typically collect 20-32 eggs daily, average is about 24. Pictured are 28 chicken eggs and 1 duck egg.

 

[Duchess of Quah]

We have a mixed-breed flock; our first to lay at 23 weeks is an Austra White. I believe all the rest are laying now: Rhode Island Red, various Wyandottes, an Easter Egger, and a Cuckoo Marans. This is now Week 28 for us. All of our hens are from Cackle Hatchery, if that helps.

 

[CedarLane]

Our 1st Isa Browns started laying at 16 weeks....just in time for Christmas Eve! The second Isa Brown weren't quite as soon but maybe around 17-18 weeks. The Barred Rocks and Wyandottes were 22 weeks or older.

 

[Iluveggers]

I have often wondered if hatch season makes a difference in the age a hen lays her first egg. Seems the heavier breeds generally take longer, but if winter light is at its lowest, and all else being unchanged (diet, health) the time to first egg may be delayed by several weeks. I wonder if adding new egg layers in Aug/Sept would result in more consistency.
Any thoughts on that?

Well, one could say they may take their winter break as the light wanes, BUT it's been shown many times that first season layers, often times do lay thru the winter where your seasoned egg layers may take a bit of a sabattical.

It would be an interesting experiment but you'd have to use the same type of bird then and again at a later time to see if there is a significant difference. Id think they'd just start laying when their time comes though. (via age)

aaron

Doing a bit of an experiment myself this year. Our chicks hatched at the end of July in 2021, and our first eggs were Dec 24th (got 2 that day), right after winter solstice. All of our girls are laying and out of 23 the last laid he first egg this week (Feb 16th).
This year, we are getting our chicks at the end of June instead, hoping a few will start in November and a few will wait til 2023. Also hoping some of our older girls will lay through the winter (the ones that started later).
Trying to pinpoint the best time to get chicks up here in the north and have a few lay before winter and a few wait til the new year. July was just slightly too long but Dec layers were a surprise! We will see!

 

[Apis mellifera]

I typically have chantecler chicks hatching between late April and early May. By mid November to late December, they start laying with or without supplemental lighting. On the other hand, if I do add supplemental lighting older hens begin laying sooner after molting.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

I don’t even know-besides one, Eclipse, the rooster.

 

[fishygirl25]

My black copper maran started laying when she was 32 weeks old and usually lays an egg every other day. Her eggs are quite large. My super blue egger started laying eggs at 23 weeks old. She usually lays a beautiful smallish blue egg every day.

 

[susanrk]

I got my first flock 15 different assorted breeds as day old chicks in late July. The first one started laying at 18 weeks - my Black Star. My Red Star and my Rhode Island Red started laying next at about 21 - 22 weeks. Then my Ancona began a a couple weeks after that. The rest of the crew JUST started laying within the past 2 weeks or so, after the days started getting longer, so somewhere around 28 - 30 weeks? I think I still have 3 that have not yet laid a thing - my Silver Laced Wyandotte, my White Laced Red Cornish, and my White Crested Black Polish. My WCBP was traumatized though (by some of the other girls pulling feathers out of her head) so that may have caused her to be delayed due to stress? I had to separate her and my Buff Laced Polish from the others, but the Buff Laced Polish wasn't picked on quite as much and she started laying a couple weeks ago too.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I changed my vote today. My pullets are 22 weeks old, or were this past Monday (today's Wednesday, 2/23/'22), and yesterday ALL 12 of them laid, for the first time, so yay! I have 7 EE and 5 Doms.

However I also added "I have freeloaders" to my vote, because so far the most my 11 older hens have laid this year in a single day is five. Typically I get 0 to 2 or 3 out of them. They consist of eight 3-yo EE and three 2-yo BA. I'm especially disappointed in the 'Lorps, as I've only gotten about one or two eggs out of thrm so far, total, this year.

I'm planning to cull the older EE girls sometime in the next few weeks and order some new chicks. I wanted to get some Marans and CCLs, but the prices are ridiculous if you only order 4 of each. May have to stick with the breeds I have.

 

[Trampmom]

I have a Midnight (or maybe it's Mystic) Marans that started laying at 14 weeks. I was not expecting that! She's a REALLY good layer. One time I kept track, and she layed an egg 53 days in a row before she took a one day break and then started again.