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, I have 2 questions if you would be so kind, one, I bought 9 hens about 4 months ago, 6 suffolk whites and 3 rhode island reds. I cant tell if any of them are males, how can I tell? and secondly, they are still not laying. I am feeding them corn as well as household scraps of bread etc, they have a large piece of garden fenced off to themselves, and a large shed (although I havent made any specific nesting boxes) when should I expect them to start laying? thanks for any help.
Hi Amanda
Chickens can lay at different times of day. They each have their own rhythm.
Hi All
i am completely new to all this and this may be a silly question!! But can anyone tell me can chickens lay eggs at anytime of the day or is it just in the morning
thank you
Hi Michelle
They won’t start to lay until they are about 8 months old.
they are silkys and i only have the 3 and are 5 months old
Hi Michelle
There are so many questions here. What breed are they? How old? Are they joining a settled flock?
I have had my 3 hens for 7 days now how long will it be before they start to lay
Hi Mandy
This is great news!
I am so pleased. Thanks for the update. The more questions and answers the more useful this site will be for people in the future.
Thanks for the update! Much appreciated.
Most of our hens are now laying regularly and it’s such a joy.
Hi Fn and Rosieposey
We have for the last 3 days started to get eggs. One of the older almost 3 years old is laying after not having laid since september and one of the new girls has joined in.
We did the worm treatment, made a nice comfy nest, still nothing then about 9 days ago added plastic eggs to the nesting box.
Just wanted to let you know.
Mandy
Hi Elinor
Hens do go off lay if they are going broody. What colour are their combs? If these are pink it’s a sure sign that they are going broody.
It could also be that something else has put them off lay. Chickens are sensitive creatures.