Chicken Rules

How old do chickens have to be before they will start laying eggs/setting?

I have game hens and white rock(or chicken house) chickens. They are about 4 months old now. Do they lay/set year round or only during certain seasons? Any info appreciated.

Public Comments

1. they have to be fully grown 4 years
2. hens start laying when they reach sexual maturity at 18-22 weeks though peak egg production comes at 28 weeks of age Chickens have a pineal gland (a gland behind their eye) which functions to control reproduction. Increasing day length in the spring acts to naturally stimulate egg production through the increased length of exposure to light. Furthermore, as the amount of light decreases in the fall and winter due to shorter day length, egg production naturally declines. so you can theoretically have them produce year round by having increased light all the time but it is not recommended so they will lay spring and summer and not or very little in the fall and winter . cheers amy
3. I've never had a chicken start laying before the age of 6 months. And even at that age the laying can sometimes be sporadic. Yes they do lay year round but stop while molting (losing feathers, getting new ones). Feed them a good laying mash and plenty of fresh clean water. Adding a little bit of flax seed to their mash will give you eggs with a higher o-mega 3. Fresh eggs are the best! They are more orange than store bought so don't be suprised. Much success.
4. Depend on the breed and raising enviorment. But most will in about a year. About the laying, again breed has a lot to do with how much they produce, and once they stop producing that's it, there will be no more and no use for it, unless you keep it as a "pet". They (most hens) will not choose a certain season to lay eggs. As for the eggs that are going to be chicks, they come anytime of the year and the hen becomes very defensive about you touching them....so be careful. That's all I have...hopefully that will hel[p you. P.s this was in Guatemala. So it might be different in other countries.
5. A chicken lays only during certain times. They have to have 14 hours of light per day minimum either natural or artificial lighting. They will lay eggs naturally, however, they need certain protiens and calciums so it's best to feed them laying pellets(mesh) purchased from any farm store. The age varies between 19-32 weeks old depending on size (framework) of the chicken. They use light to mature so if you have them on 14 hours of light from the beginning, they will be ready to lay in the earlier part of that 19-32 weeks. If it's natural light only and they're born in the fall or winter, it may take longer for them to mature. (During peak egg production - usually between 29-32 weeks old - you can increase the light to 16 hours a day.) At 69-75 weeks, they'll go thru a molting process where they stop laying but will start back up after that time period. They'll lay most of the eggs the first year of life. A chicken can only lay 1 egg in a day then must skip atleast 1 day a week so don't expect 7 eggs from a single chicken. 4 -5 is more accurate.
6. Sorry, I haven't a clue.