If you have little chicks, then you are probably wondering how long do I have to wait for them to start paying rent. I remember when my hens got to laying age, I was waiting and waiting for them to give me an egg. It felt like it took forever (when it was me just being impatient.) Finally, it happened and Rocky laid her first egg!!! I was so excited that I called just about everyone I knew.
I will never forget that day when I went to the coop and saw her on the egg! So, here’s the question how long will you have to wait for her to pay rent? The quick and short answer is, it depends on the breed. The average age for hens to start laying is 18 weeks old, but that can vary from breed to breed. Some may start laying as early as 16 weeks and some may not lay until they are 24 weeks old. Rocky laid her first egg around 25 weeks, she is a barred rock, so the average age for that breed is around 26 weeks old. So as you can tell it depends on the breed, hen, and the time of year. She laid her first egg on November 15th.
Surprisingly she was the first one to lay, out of the six that I had. I had 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Prairie Bluebell Eggers.
What was the age when your first hen laid? As you can tell it varies greatly from hen to hen.
The 1912 Homestead 