When Do Young Hens Start Laying Eggs?
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When Do Young Hens Start Laying Eggs?
Most young hens, called pullets, begin laying around 18 to 22 weeks of age, or roughly five to six months. University extension poultry programs, including the University of Minnesota Extension, cite this same range. Breed matters: lighter production breeds like Leghorns often start closer to 16 to 18 weeks, while heavier dual-purpose and heritage breeds may not lay until 22 to 24 weeks or later.
Signs a Pullet Is About to Lay
Your hens will give you clues a week or two before the first egg arrives. The comb and wattles deepen from pale pink to a bright red, a sign her body is maturing. She may start "squatting," dropping low with her wings slightly out when you reach toward her, which is the submissive posture hens adopt once they are ready to lay. You will also notice her poking around the nest boxes, scratching at the bedding and trying them out. When you see all three, eggs are usually close.
Why the First Eggs Look Odd
Do not be surprised if the first eggs are small, oddly shaped, or arrive on no clear schedule. As a pullet's reproductive system finds its rhythm, she may lay tiny yolkless eggs, sometimes called "fairy eggs" or "wind eggs," or skip days entirely. This is completely normal and sorts itself out within a few weeks as laying becomes regular and the eggs grow to full size.
Daylight and Our Fog Months
Light is a powerful trigger. Hens need roughly 14 to 16 hours of daylight to lay steadily, so a pullet that reaches laying age in late fall may hold off until spring, when days lengthen again. Here on the Central Coast, our short, foggy winter days can push that first egg later than you might expect. Some keepers add supplemental coop lighting to encourage winter laying, while others let nature set the pace and simply wait for spring. Either approach is fine. For more on the seasonal pattern, see how many eggs you can expect from a small flock.
What Helps Them Get Started
A few things set young hens up to lay well. Switch from grower feed to a layer feed once the first eggs appear, since layer rations carry the calcium hens need for strong shells, and offer crushed oyster shell on the side. Have nest boxes ready and inviting by about 16 weeks so the birds learn where to lay before the eggs arrive. Clean water and a low-stress coop round it out. Our guide to what to feed your backyard flock year-round in California covers the feeding details, and Build Your Flock can help you plan which birds to raise.
Be patient through those first uneven weeks. Once a pullet settles in, she will reward you with steady eggs.
