[xx bluey xx]

Hi,
Before i forget to tell you look at the hens combs! do they look pale? if any do these are probably the ones off lay, I have a couple hundred chickens and they are so unpredictable one day you will find 60 70 eggs the next only 30 so i dont really think there is anything to worry about. Do you know how old they are roughly?

[Owainbax]

No we don't but we were told that they were point of lay though and we still have a problem

[Bagpuss]

I had four ex-battrey hens two months ago and I've at least two eggs every day and now am getting four eggs a day regularly and I have no expertise.  I can't believe it, I keep waiting for them to stop laying and say 'that's it you've had all your getting'.

[Aunt Sally]

Can you post a closeup picture of them Owainbax.  It would help for us  to estimate how old they are.

This post will help with pictures:

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=630

[Owainbax]

I'M just wondering does anybody know about how old chickens start laying and are there any exceptions?

[diamond_lil]

I'M just wondering does anybody know about how old chickens start laying and are there any exceptions?

In my experience this is a 'how long is a piece of string' question. Every hen could be and probably is an exception.

I reckon they COULD start laying from when their combs are fully developed and they are fully feathered and all that stuff, but whether they WILL start laying then is enbtirely up to them. We bought some 'point of lay' Warrens last September which didn't start laying until late April this year when we started feeding them layer's pellets and keeping them in until they produced an egg! Mind you they are pretty productive now and we are selling quite a few at the farm gate.

I am sure some of the chicken experts will tell you different!

On the good side, we had an old Light Sussex bantam which still produced the odd egg when she was 7!

All the best DL