# Will the chickens lay this year?



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Some breeds start laying at 20 weeks, some a little later. If yours are Americaunas you should start getting eggs fairly soon. My Guinea keets started laying sooner than most of my chicks but not much. How red are their wattles and combs? Once they turn reallllly red, they're getting close.


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

Hmmm, depends on the breeds for the chickens.
The heritage breeds don't often begin to lay until 5 to 6 months and many of them are not affected by cold weather/shorter daylight, meaning they lay right through winter.... as well as the hot summer months too.
The more commercial breeds of layers can start laying as young as 4.5 months old but seem to need more supplimental lighting to keep the production up during the winter.

My new Australorps started laying in September and all but a few of my heritage breeds will lay all winter with no extra lighting.
My guineas though did stop laying during the shorter /colder days.

You probably won't start to see eggs until we are in to November.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Dreamcatcher Arabians said:


> Some breeds start laying at 20 weeks, some a little later. If yours are Americaunas you should start getting eggs fairly soon. My Guinea keets started laying sooner than most of my chicks but not much. How red are their wattles and combs? Once they turn reallllly red, they're getting close.


We have 5 Ameraucana, 5 dominique, 5 russian orloff and 5 deleware's. I think they look pretty red, but I don't see them that often, my mom was away this weekend so I took care of them but before that it had been a few weeks since I had seen them.


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## freia (Nov 3, 2011)

They'll lay this Fall/Winter. Newbie-chicks don't take the Winter off like adult hens do. They start laying sometime after 20 weeks and keep going until their first molt, which shouldn't be until next Fall. Give them lots of good feed, clean water, and a comfy nest, and they'll soon surprise you with a tiny, puny, little egg. It'll be the most beautiful pathetic little egg ever.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

I bought a white chic, breed unknown to me, from tsc at easter. I look every day for my first egg, and have yet to have it.  She's what 7 months now? I feel like she should give me an egg already!
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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

Hmm... got pictures of her? You might have a meat bird.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Lol yeah I do, gimme a min to get on the computer and ill post them. Gosh I didn't want a meat bird!
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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

ok all the recent pics are on my other halfs phone, and hes out of town, but i did find two pics of when she was smaller. I actually bought 6, two of each color they had, and shes the only one that i have left. She was yellow when she was born, if that tells you anything, She is HUGE. shes very fat with big thick legs. Shes a sweetheart though. My daughter totes her around like a stuffed animal. She follows us around and talks to us and eats out of our hand lol. 

She is the biggest one out of the bunch. Her name is Waddles... because she waddles.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

OutOfTheLoop said:


> ok all the recent pics are on my other halfs phone, and hes out of town, but i did find two pics of when she was smaller. I actually bought 6, two of each color they had, and shes the only one that i have left. She was yellow when she was born, if that tells you anything, She is HUGE. shes very fat with big thick legs. Shes a sweetheart though. My daughter totes her around like a stuffed animal. She follows us around and talks to us and eats out of our hand lol.
> 
> She is the biggest one out of the bunch. Her name is Waddles... because she waddles.


I can't tell from the pics as they are too small but huge with thick legs may be a Cornish X which are meat bird.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Aaahhhh noo. So I'm guessing I should stop waiting for eggs then? Thanksgiving is coming up soon..... Lol. I couldn't eat her. Eggs or not she's like a second daughter lol.
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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

IF she is a Cornish X which I cannot tell from the small pictures, she may get so big she can no longer walk. Cornish X birds are basically the mutant meat bird and not able to live very long usually because they are bed to get ginormous.


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

Oh no, don't tell me that. What if I blow the pics up? Lol
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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

ok try this again....


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

OutOfTheLoop said:


> She was yellow when she was born, if that tells you anything, She is HUGE. shes very fat with big thick legs. Shes a sweetheart though.
> She is the biggest one out of the bunch. Her name is Waddles... because she waddles.


Sorry to say, she sounds and looks like the meat cross Delfina is talking about.
Take heart though, while you may not ever get any eggs from her, it sounds like you probably raised her on a typical chick to egg layer diet (thinking she was a laying type of bird) instead of the high protein/overload table bird diet.
So she may be able to live a regular life and be ok.
*fingers crossed for her*


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## OutOfTheLoop (Apr 1, 2012)

I've been googling a lot since this thread. She's not as big as I thought compared to the pictures that show up when I type Cornish x. The other one in the pic died at about 3 months old. I went to open the coop hat morning and she was just laying there with her legs stuck up in the air lol. I put waddles on a diet cause she was so fat. She has lost a little weight. I give her 2 handfuls of the layer crumbles in the afternoon, and hide berries in her coop for her to find lol. I avnt noticed her struggling to get around or anything. If I do, ill send her off for dinner. I would hate for her to suffer, and from what I read, she would if she got too big.
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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Waddles is adorable, hope she doesn't get too fat :-( I had no idea meat birds were bred that way, that is terrible. 

Still no eggs here :-( they are almost 5 1/2 months old now


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Here are some pics from yesterday of my moms hens, they are free range during the day and get put in their coop for night.


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## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

The coop looks like it's open? Does it close up completely to keep them warm at night?

A heat lamp may help them start laying, chickens don't like being cold!


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Delfina said:


> The coop looks like it's open? Does it close up completely to keep them warm at night?
> 
> A heat lamp may help them start laying, chickens don't like being cold!


There is a back part of the coop that is completely enclosed except for doggie door so they can choose whether or not they want to be inside or "outside" just can't see that from the pics , there are also nesting boxes in the inside part


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Have you talked to them ? You gotta tell em, "Eggs for breakfast or chicken for dinner, the choice is yours"... so far Ive always had eggs so it must work.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

Joe4d said:


> Have you talked to them ? You gotta tell em, "Eggs for breakfast or chicken for dinner, the choice is yours"... so far Ive always had eggs so it must work.


Just me thinking about telling them that must have worked, my mom text me this morning that she got her first egg. Not sure what breed its from, its a light tan color. I'll have to ask if she knows. Should they all start laying now?
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