WHEN DO CHICKENS START LAYING EGGS? 6 SIGNS THAT THE TIME IS NEAR
When do chickens start laying eggs? 6 signs that the time is near
At what age do chickens start laying eggs?
The average age at which a chick begins to lay eggs is about six months (or about 24 weeks). Some breeds of chickens start laying eggs at around 18 weeks, but the average chicken doesn’t start laying eggs until around 24 weeks.
Every chicken is different (just like humans!). Some may start laying eggs earlier than others. You can’t rush it, but I would advise you to start encouraging it.
How long does it take a chicken to lay an egg?
It takes the chicken’s body about 24 hours to produce it. And another 20 to 30 minutes for them to lay it.
For hens that lay eggs all the time, they need enough light. On average, 12 to 14 hours of daylight will help a hen lay eggs regularly.
Because the winter months mean less daylight, your hens will lay fewer eggs (or stop laying them altogether). If the chicken reaches maturity (18 to 24 weeks) in the fall and winter months, you may not get your first egg until the following spring.
Egg Laying and chickens
If you want to raise chickens for their eggs, it is important to understand the characteristics of different types of chickens. There are many different breeds that are known for their excellent egg production.
When you buy eggs from the grocery store, these chickens are forced to lay eggs all year under artificial light. Good pasture or farm chickens avoid laying eggs during the winter months.
Their bodies know very well that this is a wonderful time for them to take a break from laying eggs. Their bodies use their nutrients and energy during the warm winter months.
As the daylight hours begin to increase, you will begin to notice an increase in your egg production due to the longer days. If you notice that your chickens have stopped laying eggs in the winter, here’s why!
6 signs that your chickens will start laying soon
1. Exploring
If your chickens start going in and out of the nesting box, it’s always a good sign that an egg is nearby! Your chicken may even try to sit in a few nest boxes. You can place a few eggs in the nest box to encourage her to lay.
2. Enlarged and reddened combs and wattles
The chicken mixture sits on top of the chicken head. A chicken pox is a small mustache that hangs from its mouth. As the mowing season approaches, you will notice that the wattles and combs begin to enlarge and turn red.
3. Squatting
If you notice that your chickens are starting to croak when you walk by, that’s a good sign that laying is just around the corner! The hen fell into a crouching position because that is how the rooster will climb and give birth
.
4. Appetite
When it comes to raising your chickens, you should understand that they eat different feeds and have different nutritional needs.
You will feed your chickens a special chicken starter, a high protein crumble.
For the next laying season, you can replace them with layer feed. Layer feed contains added calcium to support egg production.
Chickens need a lot of calcium in their diet to produce strong eggs. Without enough calcium, you may have soft eggs.
As the time approaches for the hen to start laying eggs, you will notice that her hunger increases. A hen will begin to eat more food than usual as her body prepares to lay eggs.
Once your hen starts laying eggs, you can use her own eggs to supplement her calcium intake.
5. Singing
The closer your hen gets to laying eggs, the more they will sing. The chicken will start making loud squawking noises in preparation for the big day. Once your hens start laying eggs, you will also notice that many of them start calling loudly before and after laying eggs. It’s like a cry to let you know they’re laying.
6. Nervous
Chickens may seem more nervous than usual. Before the hen lays her eggs, they can be nervous as she searches for the best place to lay her eggs.
How to encourage your chickens to lay naturally
We want to encourage our chickens to lay eggs in the spring and summer months. Remember that egg production usually slows down during the dark of fall and winter as they spend a lot of energy to keep warm. If your sunny or summer days are getting longer, there are several ways to encourage your chickens to lay eggs. I would recommend doing these things instead of trying to start the pose with an added light.
Give them extra protein.
Feeding chickens a high protein diet in the form of supplements, feed and sunflower seeds is a good way to encourage egg production. Their bodies have been used up with nutrients from the winter months.
Give them more calcium
You can give your chickens more calcium through egg yolks and dark green leafy vegetables. Greens and kale are great options. The dark greens will also give you a nice dark yolk once they start laying eggs.
You’ll also want to make sure they have a good enough layer of feed that also provides calcium.
Give them a good place to lay their eggs
Make sure they have access to a nest box or place to lay eggs. Making sure it’s clean and tidy is also a good idea. I like to use these eggs on the bottom of my nest box. This makes cleaning up easier and provides a better home for our chickens. Placing these ceramic eggs in their nest box also promotes egg laying.
Leave them as free range as much as possible
If you have the space and security, let your chickens run free. Fresh air, sunshine, grass and insects encourage their bodies to start laying eggs.
Normal thing that can happen when the chicken starts to lay
- Laying of a hen may not be compatible at the same time.
- Not all chickens are heavy egg producers.At their peak, most hens lay eggs every day or every other day.
- Egg sizes vary and change over time as they grow.You will have small eggs at first and large eggs in time.
When will your hen start to lay bigger eggs?
When a hen lays her first eggs, these are the smallest eggs she will lay. At 40 weeks the egg size will start to increase.
When does a hen stop laying eggs?
Most hens will reach their peak lifespan and egg production between the ages of 2 and 3 years of age. This first year of life is dedicated to growing and reaching egg-laying maturity.
When a hen reaches the age of three, her eggs gradually decrease over time. Mature hens will experience a reduction in egg laying of about 10% per year by the age of three.
