{"id":188,"date":"2018-09-02T02:34:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-02T02:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/?p=188"},"modified":"2021-07-12T20:15:29","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T01:15:29","slug":"when-will-my-hen-lay-eggs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chikchikchicken.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/02\/when-will-my-hen-lay-eggs\/","title":{"rendered":"When Will My Hen Lay Eggs?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You\u2019ve been patiently waiting, and wondering when will my hen lay eggs? Then it happens. It\u2019s like Christmas!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. I may earn a commission on products purchased.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know if your girls are ready to lay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pullets will generally start to lay around 18 weeks, however, it could be as early as 16 weeks or as late as 24 weeks, depending on the breed of your bird<\/a> and time of year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes about 14 hours of daylight for egg production so if you girls are of age in Winter it may be Spring before you see an egg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subtle Changes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As your pullet gets closer to laying, you will start to notice some subtle changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They may start checking out the nest box and may even spend time in there building a nest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We purchased some fake eggs <\/a>and placed them in the nest to encourage them to go in it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will want to make sure there\u2019s enough bedding to \u201ccatch\u201d the egg to prevent it from breaking (I used to think the bedding was to make the girls comfortable). If the egg breaks, most hens will eat it. This could resort to egg-eating behavior and you don’t want that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, their combs and wattles will become a deeper red and look larger. This seemed to happen overnight for our girls. You could see an egg in the next week or so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Submissive Squat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The tell-tale sign that your girl is ready to lay is the submissive squat (our daughter calls it the rooster stance<\/em>). The hen squats to allow the rooster to \u201cclimb on\u201d and take care of business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Your girls may associate you as the rooster, especially if you are the one primarily feeding them and giving them treats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ours will run up and squat in front of us and sometimes just the sound of my husband’s voice gets them to squat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we noticed our girls squatting, it was less than a week when our hens laid their first egg.
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It’s been 30 Weeks and Still No Eggs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If it\u2019s been 30 weeks and your hen isn\u2019t laying, this could be a sign of illness<\/a>.<\/strong> The most common is mites or lice<\/strong>.<\/a> These parasites suck the blood out of your chickens causing anemia and even death. Check the vent area and under the wing. If there are any mites, you will see them crawling; lice lay eggs and attach to the shaft of the feather. If your chicken should happen to have either, you will need to treat the entire flock plus clean out the coop and run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stress Can Affect Egg Production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chickens won\u2019t lay if they feel stressed or insecure. They need a quiet and safe place to lay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It surprised me that chickens get stressed and that it can affect their laying. Some common causes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n