One of the greatest benefits of owning chickens is the access to fresh eggs on a daily basis. As such, one of the most exciting things about owning chickens is finding the first egg laid.
As young chicks grow and mature into young chickens, they are referred to as pullets (females only). Chickens are still be considered pullets when they first begin laying eggs, and as they continue to lay and further mature, they will then be considered as full-grown hens.
Typically, chickens will begin to lay anywhere between the ages of 4 to 6 months. However, it is entirely possible for them to lay before 4 months (though very rare), as it is also possible for them to delay laying until after 6 months. A common age to begin laying at is around 18 weeks of age, or 4½ months.
Don’t be discouraged if your chickens take longer than 4, or even 6 months to lay. The laying ability of hens depends on a large variety of factors and circumstances. Some of these laying factors you can affect, while others you cannot.
Factors that affect laying:
- Age
- Breed
- Temperature
- Diet/Nutrition
- Health
- Light
For more information on why your chicken might not be laying eggs despite being old enough, check out this post.
