If you purchased chicks in the spring, you’re probably starting to wonder, “When do chickens start laying eggs?” One of the most exciting aspects of raising chickens at home is waiting for the day they start laying eggs.
It’s hard, I know. I was so frantic for our first flock to start laying eggs that I checked the coop and our yard on a daily basis. And I’ll never forget the excitement of collecting our first egg.
It’s important to realize that hens will show signs that they’re ready to lay a month or more before they actually start laying eggs. Knowing what to look for can help ease your mind that your hens are getting close to that magical day.
How to Tell Your Chickens Are About to Lay Eggs
If you have a flock of baby chicks at home, you’re probably wondering how long it will be until you get some fresh eggs for breakfast. So how can you tell your hens are ready to start laying?
1. They’ve Reached Maturity
Chickens start laying eggs when they’ve reached maturity.
So, how old are hens when they start laying? The answer for most breeds is around 6 months (18 to 24 weeks). However, some breeds, such as Rhode Island Reds and Australorps, are known to start laying pretty early, around 4 to 4.5 months of age. Other breeds, like Silkies or Easter Eggers, lay later.
That said, the time of year you started your flock will also play a role in when you get eggs. If you started your flock in early spring, you’ll get eggs by mid to late summer. However, if you started your flock in mid to late summer, and they come into maturity during the dark days of winter, you might not get any eggs until the following spring.
The reason is because chickens need at least 14 hours of light daily in order to trigger the reproductive cycle and lay eggs. According to MSU Extension, hens have evolved this way so that their chicks can be hatched during the warm spring weather and grow to maturity during the summer months.
Now, you can manipulate the egg laying cycle by putting a lightbulb in your hen coop. Adding a few extra hours of light early in the morning can trigger the reproductive cycle and keep hens laying all winter. We use a solar powered lightbulb in our coop during the winter months to keep our hens laying. However, some people opt not to do this in order to give their hens a natural break from laying.
2. Chickens Start Laying Eggs When Their Comb and Wattles Are Red
Immature hens have very small, pinkish colored combs, and little or no wattles (the flaps of skin that hangs under their beak). As your hens reach maturity and get ready to lay eggs, their combs and wattles will get larger and turn a deep, rich red color. This is also true with the skin around her eyes. It will get darker in color as she gets closer to lay. Keep in mind that not all chicken breeds have wattles, so watching the color of the comb is most important.
Below is a picture of some of our hens when they were around 3 months old. As you can see, their combs are very small, and their wattles are nonexistent. They still had some growing to do before they started laying eggs!
3. They Squat When You’re Near
A hen that is almost ready to lay eggs will squat when you come near. By “squatting,” I mean that the hen will lower herself to the ground and put out her wings slightly, flattening herself out into a submissive position and becoming very still.
This posture is meant to show a rooster, normally the most dominant member of the flock, that she’s ready to mate and lay eggs. However, if you don’t have a rooster then you’re the dominant member of the flock. So, she’ll squat when you’re near to show she’s submissive.
4. They’re Investigating the Nesting Boxes
Before chickens start laying eggs they will poke around the nesting boxes. They’ll hang around the boxes, hop on top, and may even go inside and sit for a test run. It’s like all of a sudden, these nesting boxes seem really interesting.
Before your hens get to this stage it’s important to make sure that you have enough nesting boxes for your flock. Generally speaking, one nesting box will accommodate three to four hens. So if you have ten hens, you should have three or four nesting boxes.
Of course, if you have free range hens then they might decide to pick out their own nesting site. I have plenty of nesting boxes for our flock, but I still find eggs in the oddest places around our homestead. A lot of the hens like making their own nest in the extra hay we have…
It can be helpful to have some fake eggs on-hand to put into the nesting boxes so your hens understand this is where they’re supposed to lay their eggs. You can find wood or plastic nesting eggs for $10 or less on Amazon. I use these every year with our new chickens and they really help them get the picture.
5. Before Chickens Start Laying Eggs They’ll Have Increased Appetite
Chickens that are close to lay will start eating more food. After all, a chicken’s body has to go through several changes to get ready to lay, and producing eggs takes an enormous amount of water, calcium, and energy. So naturally, she’s going to start eating more food as she gears up for this new phase of her life.
Once you suspect, from her age (16 to 18 weeks) and behavioral changes, that your hen is close to laying eggs you’ll want to switch her feed over to layer feed, which has higher calcium and other nutrients they need at this stage. You should also offer crushed oyster shells for extra calcium.
Getting Your First Eggs
One day, you’re going to go into the coop and find that first egg. And you will be thrilled! But chances are it won’t look like a normal sized egg. It may be absurdly small, almost like a fairy chicken flew into the coop at night and laid a teeny tiny egg.
These fairy eggs are a real thing. A chicken that first comes into lay will often lay super small eggs. Don’t worry…this is completely normal!
You might also find that your new layers are finding their own places to lay. This is normal, if not aggravating, behavior. Use strategies to get your chickens to lay in nesting boxes, like using fake eggs, nesting box herbs, and limiting their free range time until the afternoon (when most chickens have already laid their eggs.)
Last Word
I know that it can be an anxious time, waiting for your hens to start laying their first eggs. You’re ready for farm fresh eggs for breakfast, and the simple joy of walking out to your coop to collect those beauties! I was there, and I remember it like it was yesterday.
Although you’re counting down the days, it helps to know some of the signs a hen will exhibit right before she comes into lay. And when you start noticing the signs, get ready! Farm fresh eggs will be on your breakfast table soon.
I’d love to hear back from you. Are you counting down the days until your chickens start laying? Are they showing any signs they’re getting ready?