Eggs????

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We are still newbies to this whole chuck life and we are loving it! However we are unsure of when our ladies will or should be laying eggs!! We have 2 sablepoots but we are not sure of the age of them, we think they are between 16-20 weeks....

Is there any other tell tale signs of how we would know they are getting ready to lay??

We keep checking every morning, noon and night for eggs lol just incase are little ladies ave left a little prezzie for us hahahha...

Thanks in advance Emma&Craig :-)
 
their wattles should start getting redder i think a couple of days befor they lay then go back to pinck till ready to lay the next.
a couple of mine had a fue practice clucks too, made a right noise for about 3 days
 
Some of our Pedigrees have got to 8 months before laying. Think you have at least 6 weeks to wait yet. A lady on Countryfile showed how to check the width of the pelvis. About three fingers across at point of lay (on the breed she demonstrated on). Haven't had chance to try this myself.
 
We were very lucky when we got our first hens last October, they started laying just 2 weeks after we got them, and they laid through the whole winter!! That said, some breeds take a while longer, and you may find that they don't start until the spring...but look at their combs for a good idea...if they start to turn a bright red, and grow bigger, it's a good indication that they'll start soon. Give them a good varied diet on top of the layers pellets, mine love veggie peels cooked down and mashed, go nuts over a bag of fresh salad, and even a few cat biscuits for a treat!! As long as they are happy and healthy, you'll find eggs when they are ready!! Good luck!!
 
As well as reddening and growing combs and wattles, another sign is whether they crouch and spread their wings when you run your hand over their backs. When they do this it's a sign of sexual maturity because they're hoping a cockerel is about to mate them, hence eggs are on their way.

A few pullets may come into lay before 20 weeks, buit it's not very usual. Battery hens are fed special food and given extra light to hurry them up iunto lay, but it's not good for them in the long run. Purebreds may take longer to mature. None of my ybrid/purebred mixed flock have ever started before 23 weeks, and two went to 28 weeks, but they all got there in the end. Yours may take longer because the daylight is declining and this affects egglaying, though with luck they may make it before the dark days really arrive.
 
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