Quick Answer
Most hens lay their first egg between 18 and 22 weeks old — roughly four and a half to five and a half months. Production breeds such as Leghorns and ISA Browns often start earlier, around 16 to 20 weeks, while heavy breeds such as Orpingtons and Brahmas can take six to eight months. No rooster is needed for eggs. If your pullet is healthy, well fed, and getting enough daylight, the calendar matters less than the signs: a reddening comb, squatting, and interest in the nest boxes mean the first egg is one to three weeks away.
What “Starting to Lay” Really Means
A young female chicken is called a pullet until she lays her first egg, after which she is a hen. That first egg is the finish line of months of growth: bones, muscle, feathers, and the reproductive tract all have to mature together, and the bird has to reach a healthy adult body weight first. That is why two pullets from the same hatch can start weeks apart — genetics, growth rate, feed, daylight, and stress all pull the date in different directions.
It also explains why the published ranges disagree. A source quoting 16 weeks is usually talking about production hybrids; a source quoting eight months is talking about heavy heritage breeds. Both can be right. Use the breed table below as your starting estimate, then watch the bird, not just the calendar.
First-Egg Age by Breed
Typical ranges for common backyard breeds. Individual birds vary by several weeks either side.
| Breed | Type | First egg (typical) | Eggs per year (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leghorn | Production layer | 16–20 weeks | 280–320 |
| ISA Brown / Golden Comet | Production hybrid | 16–20 weeks | 300+ |
| Rhode Island Red | Dual-purpose | 18–22 weeks | 250–300 |
| Australorp | Dual-purpose | 20–24 weeks | 250 |
| Plymouth Rock | Heritage dual-purpose | 20–26 weeks | 200–280 |
| Wyandotte | Heritage dual-purpose | 20–26 weeks | 200 |
| Easter Egger | Hybrid layer | 20–26 weeks | 200–280 |
| Orpington | Heavy dual-purpose | 22–28 weeks | 175–200 |
| Cochin | Heavy ornamental | 28–36 weeks | 150 |
| Brahma | Heavy breed | 24–32 weeks | 150 |
| Silkie | Bantam ornamental | 28–36 weeks | 100 |
Bantams generally lay smaller eggs than their full-sized counterparts, and ornamental breeds were never selected for early or heavy laying, so patience is part of keeping them.
Five Signs Laying Is Close
Most pullets show several of these changes in the one to three weeks before the first egg:
- Redder, larger comb and wattles. A pullet’s comb starts small and pale pink. As laying hormones rise it grows, fills out, and turns bright red.
- Squatting. When you reach toward her, she crouches low with wings slightly spread. This is a mating posture, and it is one of the most reliable signs — she is hormonally ready.
- Nest-box exploring. She peeks into boxes, sits in them, scratches and rearranges the bedding, and may chase other hens away from a favourite box.
- Wider pelvic bones. Feel gently under her vent: two bony points on either side. When they sit about two to three fingers apart, laying is close; when they are close together, it is still weeks away. If you are unsure, ask a poultry vet to show you — do not squeeze.
- A fuller body, louder voice, and bigger appetite. She looks finished growing, feathers clean and glossy, and she may get chattier, including a loud “egg song” — a burst of clucking around laying time.
No single sign is proof on its own. Two or three together, in a bird of laying age, mean you should have nest boxes ready and layer feed on hand.
Why Season Can Delay the First Egg
Daylight is the second-biggest factor after breed. Hens need roughly 14 to 16 hours of light a day to lay well; below about 12 hours, laying slows or stops. A pullet that reaches 20 weeks in spring, as days lengthen, often starts right on schedule. The same bird reaching 20 weeks in late autumn, as days shorten, may wait until late winter or spring — even though she is physically mature.
You can add supplemental light in the coop (a low-wattage bulb on a timer, added in the early morning to reach about 14 hours total) if you want winter eggs, but many first-year keepers prefer to let the bird follow the seasons for her first year and simply wait. Either choice is fine; what matters is not mistaking a normal seasonal pause for a problem.
Other delays are simpler: moving coops, a predator scare, new flock mates reshuffling the pecking order, heat, illness, or underfeeding can each push the first egg back by days or weeks. If a bird is otherwise bright, eating, and growing, give her time before worrying.
When to Switch to Layer Feed
Switch at about 18 weeks, or when the first egg appears — whichever comes first, and never much before 16 weeks. The reason is calcium: layer feed contains about 3–4% calcium for shell-making, while starter and grower feeds contain far less. Switching too early can strain young kidneys with calcium they cannot yet use; switching too late gives you thin, soft, or shell-less first eggs.
Make the change gradually over seven to ten days — for example, 75% old feed to 25% new for three days, then 50/50, then 25/75, then all layer feed — so the change does not put birds off their food. Keep crushed oyster shell available in a separate dish from the start of laying, so each hen can top up her own calcium as she needs it. Treats should stay a small share of the diet: no more than about 10% of daily intake, roughly two tablespoons per hen per day, so they do not dilute the balanced feed.
One alternative some keepers use is to stay on a grower feed and offer oyster shell free-choice, letting hens self-regulate calcium. That works only if the feed is unmedicated and the shell is always available — for most beginners, the standard switch to layer feed at 18 weeks is simpler and safer.
Get the Nest Boxes Ready Before the First Egg
Pullets that cannot find a private, comfortable spot will lay on the coop floor, in a corner, or in a spot you cannot find. Set boxes out at least a week or two before you expect eggs:
- Size: about 12 inches square and 12–18 inches deep for standard hens; about 10 inches for bantams, 14 inches wide for large breeds.
- Number: one box per three to four hens is plenty — hens share and will queue for a favourite.
- Height: about 18 inches to three feet off the floor, and always lower than the roosts, or hens will sleep in them.
- Bedding: clean straw, pine shavings, or nesting pads, with a small lip at the entrance to hold bedding in.
- Location: dark, quiet, draft-free, and away from the busiest traffic in the coop.
Add a fake egg or golf ball to each box at first. It signals “this is a safe laying spot” and helps pullets choose the box over the floor.
What the First Eggs Will Look Like — and What Comes Next
Expect small eggs. The first eggs, often called pullet eggs, are noticeably smaller than a mature hen’s eggs, and the first few weeks can be irregular: an odd shape, a wrinkled or thin shell, a double yolk, or a tiny yolkless “fairy egg.” All of this is normal while the reproductive tract settles in, and size and regularity improve over the first month or two. Do not change feed or add supplements in response to one odd egg — judge by the pattern over a couple of weeks.
Once laying starts, a good layer typically lays an egg every 24 to 26 hours at peak, building to four to six eggs a week, and reaching peak production about six to eight weeks after the first egg. After the first laying year, output falls roughly 10–20% per year, so a hen starting at about 250 eggs in year one might give 200–225 in year two and 160–200 in year three. Most backyard hens lay well for three to four years and live six to eight. If you want a steady supply, plan to add young pullets every two to three years rather than expecting one flock to lay forever.
Hens also take natural breaks: an annual moult in autumn, when feathers are replaced and laying stops for roughly one to two months, and short winter pauses when daylight is short. Both are biology, not failure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a rooster for hens to lay eggs?
No. Hens lay eggs whether or not a rooster is present. A rooster is only needed if you want fertilised eggs for hatching.
Why hasn’t my hen laid yet at 24 weeks?
Breed, season, and individual variation are the usual answers — heavy breeds and autumn-maturing pullets routinely start later. Check feed, daylight, and stress, and watch for the signs above. If she is dull, thin, or off her food, that is a health question, not a waiting question.
Should I add light to make pullets lay sooner?
You can, but it is optional in the first year. Supplemental light to about 14 hours a day will encourage laying; without it, autumn pullets may wait until spring. Do not light the coop around the clock — hens need a dark rest period of about eight hours.
Is a soft-shelled first egg a problem?
A single soft or shell-less egg early on is common. If soft shells keep happening, check that birds are actually on layer feed, that oyster shell is available, and that treats are not crowding out the balanced feed. Persistent problems deserve a vet check.
Why are my hens laying at different times?
Even sisters from the same hatch start days or weeks apart. Growth rate and hormones differ bird to bird, and lower-ranking hens may eat less and start later until the pecking order settles.
The Bottom Line
Plan on 18 to 22 weeks for most hens, earlier for production breeds, later for heavy and ornamental ones — then confirm it with the bird herself. Red comb, squatting, and nest-box visits mean eggs are near; nest boxes ready, layer feed at 18 weeks, and oyster shell on the side mean you are ready for them. The first eggs will be small and a little irregular, and that is normal. Give a healthy pullet daylight, good feed, and a quiet place to lay, and the wait usually ends on its own.
This article is general information for backyard keepers, not veterinary advice. If a bird is sick, losing weight, or not improving, contact a poultry veterinarian.