Chook Me!

At what age do most chickens begin to lay eggs?

I am interested in non-production or heritage breeds. A neighbor has chicks now, and has offered to keep them and feed them for me until they are ready to lay. Neither of us know how long this will give me to get the chicken coop built.

Public Comments

1. Usually when they are 2 months probably...look it up!
2. 6-9 months i think
3. 4-6 months of age. Go to BarnyardChickens.com They have a lot of helpful information for you. Have fun and may your chickens make you happy
4. the earliest (this is in commercial, properly fed and encouraged to lay) we're talking about 20 weeks. It might be a little more for home kept chickens. There are things you can do to encourage them to lay earlier, but I wouldn't do it (I wouldn't consider it humane treatment). I have laying hens, but when I got them they were a little older and one of them laid eggs previously so I don't know exactly what age they started, but I have chicks that are about 10 weeks old and they're way too young to lay. So to answer the first person who answered, no, they won't lay at 2 months. that's insane.
5. hi there i have had chooks most of my life and they lay about 5 to 7 mths so you have plenty of time to build your coupe but i would recommend you get the chicks earlier so they get used to their surroundings. good luck they are beautiful creatures and make lovely pets
6. yes 6-9 months depending on the living quarters for the birds. lots of light and a warm coop will yield the best and sooner egg laying.
7. usually 8-12 months depending on temp, daylight, and what they are feed.