When will my chickens lay eggs?
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 661 comments
Even though I know that egg laying is unpredictable at this time of year, it’s always a bit disappointing when I lift the lid of the nesting box and there’s only one. An egg from Carol. She is firing on all cylinders now and producing one egg a day, the maximum that a domestic hen can produce.
“What’s going on with the other four chickens?” I think as I stump back through the garden in my dressing gown and wellies.
The other four chickens are elderly maidens, well into their third year. I know that after two years egg production diminishes but somehow I hoped that the organic food and beautiful adornments in the pen might make a difference. Of course they don’t. As the years roll by, the chickens will produce fewer and fewer eggs until they go to that great pecking ground in the sky.
The pretty white bantams, have never been very obliging on the egg laying front. In their prime, they probably only laid two or three eggs a week. They are not a laying strain and we knew this when we bought them. But we have discovered that they are very photogenic and are happy to model endlessly.
I’ve been checking the hen’s combs. A pink comb indicates that a chicken is going broody, and will not lay. They are all a bright vibrant red, including Mrs Boss (this chicken won The Broodiest of all Known Chickens Award 2004, 2005 and 2006).
So you can imagine my delight when I lifted the roof of the nesting box this morning and found two small eggs nestling beside Carol’s large speckled brown one. I sprang back to the kitchen to make the perfect breakfast omelette.
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Hi All,I have a question if anyone could answer it please,my dad has 2 long island reds,but the eggs they lay have soft shells what could he give the chickens so they lay hard shells on the eggs.cos i have no idea!,hope someone could help pls.
2 months ago i got my self 40 point of lay hens. they were 19 weeks old when i got them so they r coming up to 30 weeks old. today i got 2 eggs some days i might get 3 can u please tell me when the other 37 will start laying? i give them greens,corn and growing pellets and laying pellets still no luck. they have got a 30 meter by 15 meter run with 3 sheds. any advice wood be greatfull thanks roy.
Hi everyone, I just have to Inform you all that Daisy has finally laid her very first egg and everyone In the family Is so happy. Thanks again to everyone for all the advice and support.
Hiya Fn thanks the response, mine just love the rice as well, I always give It to them as treat.
Hi, brilliant site, you have been a source of inspiration many times!! I have another question though; my chickens (6 suffolk whites, 2 rhode islands and 5 warrens)have stopped laying suddenly. the warrens are about 6 months old, whilst the others are about 10 months old, and they were laying brilliantly, but they all stopped together about 4 weeks ago. they are not off their food, are well fed and very happy, sociable etc, they are not laying elsewhere, I have checked many times, what could be the problem? secondly, we have one rhode island cockerel in with them, and he has stopped crowing, I think about the same time, could this be related or is he just getting lazy? the chickens get a balalnced diet of corn, layers pellets, household scraps, bread rice pasta etc, which all gets devoured with gusto. thanks for any response.
We are in no hurry – I just didn’t know how long after starting laying mash should we look for eggs?! I guess being the chickens look so big it’s hard not to think they’re ready. LOL I think my husband is in a bigger hurry than I am.
I love this website – this is great to be able to have someplace to go and keep up with people who offer advice and have experience in the areas others may not have yet (or just have no clue).
Nancy & Bill aka Ricky rooster’s human parents 🙂
Hi,
Have just come across this site,I have 4 Bluelelles(Rhode Island/Maran hybrid really!) and they are about 18 months now.One is well into her first moult,new feathers coming through but this afternoon the other 3 wont stop pecking her.She is bleeding so I have separated her but she is pecking herself now where her wound is.Is there anything I can out on her to stop this ie a horrible taste to stop it continuing?
thanks
Suzanne
Hiya….. I have been reading all this information with relish…. what a great site 🙂
I have a question for you …… I had six chickens, one light and one buff sussex, two welsummer and two bantams.
A friend wanted a couple for his grandson, and as the sussex were not laying very often, and he wanted them for pets rather than eggs, I let him have those two. However I also let him have one of the welsummers as I thought that only one was laying (one lot of eggs are spotty and one lot are plain, the spotty one being the most prolific)
So I let him have the welsummer with the non existant comb and kept the one with a nice red floppy comb, obviously thinking that this was the better layer.
Well the one I kept has layed today, and the egg is plain brown with no spots!!!!! Have I given the wrong chicken away 🙁 🙁 🙁 Or do the markings vary on each lay??
what would be the chances of a chicken with no comb to speak of, laying about 3/4 times a week…. and one with a big red comb, only laying every 2 weeks???
Sorry for the waffle, cookies if you got to the end 🙂 🙂
Hi
This is a great site and has already given me lots of tips. I’m new to chicken keeping but am loving every minute! I acquired 3 Buff Orpingtons back in May this year,Gertrude, Matilda and Florence, they were then 16 weeks old.They are completely free range and appear very settled and happy, rushing towards me every time I step foot in the garden!I feed them on layer pellets, mixed corn, which they love and any food scraps, yes they love rice too! I have a wooden housewith integrated nesting box on the side. From comments earlier on in the forum I think I made a mistake by letting them have access to the box right from the start. They have not started laying as yet and from the evidence of the poo in the nesting box they sleep in it and don’t use the perches. Should I now partition it off for a while? Any ideas would be gratefuly received. Although my children are grown up and left home they are calling most days for an update!
Hi Jonathon
Our hens love vegetable scraps too and the compost bin is feeling the pinch a bit!
Hi Lee
The chickens went crazy for the rice. Thanks for the tip.
Hi Susan
I do hope that you find a companion for Buttercup soon.
Hi Wendy
I have been thinking about your problem for some time and can™t come up with an answer. There will always be one hen at the top of the pecking order and one at the bottom.
Being at the bottom of the pecking order won™t make a hen sick but if a hen is sick she needs to be separated from the rest of the flock to recover.
I have noticed that our hens generally hang out with others of the same breed so perhaps getting another leghorn hen would do the trick. Just a thought.
Often when you get new hens they lay like mad and often egg laying diminishes for a few weeks. They will eventually get into a regular laying pattern.
Sometimes worming does the trick.
Hello Ricky Rooster
They will start laying between 6 to 8 months. So you need to be patient.
Hi Ray4a
Great hearing about your chickens and ducks! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Hello Jack
Don™t expect any eggs before 24 weeks. You may have to wait even longer.