Stage 4 — week 16 and up
When chickens start laying, and the signs it is about to happen
The date is a range, not a number, and the birds tell you before the first egg does.
By Scooter M.·Published September 1, 2026
The short answer
Most production breeds lay their first egg somewhere between 18 and 22 weeks. Heritage and dual-purpose breeds are often later, 24 to 28 weeks or more. Day length matters too, so a pullet reaching maturity in late autumn may wait until the days lengthen again.
Why it is a range
Three things move the date, and only one of them is under your control.
Breed. Commercial production hybrids have been selected for decades to lay early and often, and they do — often at 18 weeks. Heritage breeds mature more slowly and lay fewer eggs over more years. Neither is better; they are different products of different breeding programs.
Day length. Laying is triggered by increasing daylight. A pullet reaching physical maturity in October may simply not start until the days lengthen in late winter, and there is nothing wrong with her. This is the single most common reason a keeper thinks their birds are late.
Nutrition and condition. A bird that has been underfed, crowded or ill during growth starts later. This is the part you control, and it mostly means feeding a proper starter or grower right through and not crowding them.
The signs, roughly in order
| Sign | What it looks like | How far ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Comb and wattles redden | From pale pink to a definite red, and they grow noticeably | Two to four weeks |
| Squatting | She crouches low with wings slightly out when you reach toward her | Days to two weeks — the most reliable single sign |
| Investigating nest boxes | Sitting in boxes, rearranging bedding, coming back to them | Days to a week |
| Vocalizing more | Noisier generally, sometimes an egg song before there is an egg | Days |
| Pelvic bones spread | Two finger-widths between the pelvic bones rather than one | Days |
Squatting is the one to rely on. It is a mating crouch, it is unmistakable once you have seen it, and it means point of lay is close — often within a week or two.
What changes when it happens
- The feed changes. Purina’s direction on chick starter is to feed it as the sole ration from day one until the onset of egg production, then switch to a layer feed. See feed types.
- Oyster shell goes out free-choice. In its own dish, never mixed into feed, so the laying birds take it and any that are not laying do not. See grit and oyster shell.
- The nest boxes need to already exist. This is the one with a deadline. Whatever a pullet lays on for her first fortnight is where she will keep laying, so boxes go in before, not after.
The first eggs are odd, and that is normal
Early eggs are small — pullet eggs, often half the size the hen will eventually produce. Some have soft or missing shells, some have no yolk, some have double yolks, and some arrive in strange places because she has not worked out the system yet. All of this is normal for the first couple of weeks and settles down.
What is not normal, and is worth acting on, is persistent soft-shelled eggs after the first fortnight. That usually means calcium, which means checking the oyster shell dish is out, accessible and not empty.
When to actually worry
If a bird is well past the range for her breed, has a red comb, is squatting, and still is not laying, the possibilities are: short days (wait), a hidden nest somewhere you have not found (look), or an individual bird that is simply a poor layer. If she is also unwell in any other way — lethargic, not eating, standing apart — that is a veterinary question, not a laying one, and this page is not the place for it.
Questions people actually ask
At what age do chickens start laying eggs?
Most production breeds lay their first egg between 18 and 22 weeks. Heritage and dual-purpose breeds are often later, commonly 24 to 28 weeks. Day length is a factor too, so a pullet reaching maturity in late autumn may not start until the days begin lengthening again.
How do I know when my chicken is about to lay?
The comb and wattles redden and grow over two to four weeks, and then she starts squatting — crouching low with wings slightly out when you reach toward her. Squatting is the most reliable single sign and usually means the first egg is days to a couple of weeks away.
Why are my chickens not laying yet?
Most often short days, because laying is triggered by increasing daylight and a pullet maturing in autumn may wait for late winter. Other possibilities are a slower-maturing heritage breed, a hidden nest you have not found, or a bird whose growth was set back by crowding, poor feed or illness.
Why are my first eggs so small?
Pullet eggs are normally small, sometimes half the size the hen will eventually lay, and the first fortnight often produces soft shells, missing shells, no yolks or double yolks. It settles down. Persistent soft shells after the first couple of weeks is a calcium issue — check the free-choice oyster shell is out and not empty.
Sources
Every figure cited on this page came from one of these documents. If one of them has changed since we read it, the number here is out of date and we would like to know.
Related
Laying
Nest boxes, roll-out designs, pads and sizing, plus what changes in the feed when the first egg arrives.
Nesting boxes, and the ratio that decides how many you buy
Nest boxes on published dimensions, with the one-per-four-to-five-birds ratio that decides how many you need.
Grit and oyster shell: two different products, two different jobs
Why grit and oyster shell are not interchangeable, what each does, and when each becomes necessary.
Layer, starter, all-flock and scratch: what actually separates them
Starter, grower, layer, all-flock and scratch — what the guaranteed analysis says and why calcium is the dividing line.
Handling and storing your own eggs
What the bloom is, why washing commits an egg to the refrigerator, and how to handle a dirty one.