Maman Poule

A short but handy article this week!

A very regular question that comes up, especially in Spring and Autumn, is « when will my pullets start laying eggs »?

What is a point-of-lay pullet?

A point-of-lay pullet is a female chicken that is fully grown and is about to start laying her first eggs.

Honest sellers will sell fully grown pullets at point-of-lay when they are 5 months old i.e. 20 weeks.  One or two weeks prior to this age is forgiveable, of course.

Unfortunately the trap is some sellers offer point-of-lay pullets from as young as 16 weeks old, so that they can move more « stock », thus giving a higher turnover of poultry.  There is nothing wrong with purchasing these growers, but they cannot be called point-of-lay as they have yet to finish growing and filling out.

Point-of-lay is a generalisation and is not breed dependent.  This means that some breeds that come into lay much later, around 26-28 weeks. 

Buying a point-of-lay pullet is great way to get them settled in to their new home before producing delicious, fresh eggs for you.

How to visually tell if a pullet is point-of-lay

A simple rule of thumb is that the pullet has good bodyweight (she may gain a little more but not much) and her comb is starting to turn red.  She will be lively and curious too!

A pullet will continue to gain weight throughout her first year – she will also lay throughout the winter but usually only during the first season.

Can I tell if my pullet has already laid but hidden her egg?

Yes, it is possible to tell whether a pullet (or hen) has laid recently and stashed her egg!  And I don’t mean stalking her or spying on her with binoculars throughout the day either!

On a large fowl chicken, all you need to do is measure the distance of the bones either side of the cloacle: 1 finger means no egg has been laid recently, 2 fingers means she has a stash somewhere!

If you have trouble holding her, check out this article on how to hold her safely and securely, so you can examine her as needed.

Teach a pullet where to lay

Don’t forget to show the young hens where to lay their eggs, by placing a crock egg in the designated nest box.  The crock egg can be removed once they have got the hang of it.

If you have space, why not place an individual nestbox in the enclosure for variety ?  I love this one, plus it provides extra shelter from the incliment weather.  Its also a great solution if you want more chickens without increasing the size of the henhouse!