# When will start laying



## lovey22 (Oct 19, 2019)

I have some white leghorns, they are5months old. When should they start laying? I have been told they


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## Biring (Sep 24, 2020)

They’ll probably start laying quite soon. Five months is usually considered point of lay, but it can happen anywhere between four and eight months depending on the breed and indeed individual pullets.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Look for bright red combs. That's the first sign it's almost time. Make sure they are getting oyster shell or calcium before they start.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Post some pics if you like, folks on this forum love sharing pictures of their birds and setups.


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## Longcrow (Jul 3, 2020)

They should start singing the egg laying song about a week or two before beginning to lay.


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## Slippy (May 14, 2020)

Longcrow said:


> They should start singing the egg laying song about a week or two before beginning to lay.


I need to learn more about the "egg laying song"!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Are you familiar at all about the racket a hen makes after laying? Many times they can get the whole flock going with the cackling celebrating the laying of yet another egg.


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## Longcrow (Jul 3, 2020)

Slippy said:


> I need to learn more about the "egg laying song"!





robin416 said:


> Are you familiar at all about the racket a hen makes after laying? Many times they can get the whole flock going with the cackling celebrating the laying of yet another egg.


The after cackle is the celebration proclamation. The egg laying song is before they go to the nest. It's in the first 5 seconds of this clip.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

That's a good example!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I don't associate that with the egg song. That's a complaint to me.


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## Biring (Sep 24, 2020)

The egg song is what she does later. Buck buck bekaw, buck buck bekaw, buck bekaw. Our cockerels and some of the pullets will join in too and it can go on for 15 minutes or more (it can seem like a lot longer as it’s just so damn loud).


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, mine are loud too.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I don't associate that with the egg song. That's a complaint to me.


Aren't your birds always complaining too?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The Guineas for sure. I only have one chicken left, she doesn't really complain, she lets me know when something isn't right. One time it was water after the font got knocked over.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

That's because your Guineas are helpful, mine only annoyed the people across the road by roosting very noisily in their tree.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I never said my Guineas were helpful, well maybe once when the one told me about the rattler. We just understand each other and can sort of live in harmony. 

Oh yeah, Guineas will certainly make themselves known. Especially in the middle of the night with the girls buckwheating like mad. My neighbor had the type of flock that wasn't trained, you could hear them most nights raising cane in the tree right behind their house.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Buckwheating, that's a good word.


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## Biring (Sep 24, 2020)

I’d love to get some guinea fowl but I think ducks and chickens are enough for now. We only have 0.75 acres here and our hens range over about 2.5 acres so we’re already relying on our neighbours’ goodwill.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

What kind of Guineas are available?


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## Biring (Sep 24, 2020)

I’m not sure of the varieties. They are all called ayam mutiara here - pearl chickens.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Poultry Judge said:


> Buckwheating, that's a good word.


It sounds more like buttcrack but I guess buckwheating is more socially acceptable.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Poultry Judge said:


> What kind of Guineas are available?


There are two here in the states. Mine are the helmeted. The other are very cold sensitive and right now I can't remember what they're called. They're either kept in climate controlled buildings or in the most southern areas of the states.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I just wonder if Biring would have access to any really antique breeds of Guineas. There are some pretty primitive looking ones in the East.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

He's so good with pics I'll bet he could come up with some that you'll be drooling over.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, agreed.


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## Biring (Sep 24, 2020)

I wouldn’t need to worry about them getting cold. I’m more concerned about them bothering the neighbours. When we got the muscovies we kept them in their coop for three nights. Within about 10 minutes of letting them out our drake Donald flew about 30m to a neighbour’s field. 20 minutes later he flew over our house to the road (pretty impressive to see a 15 pound bird in flight), waddled up the road and made his way into a chilli field about 100m from our house. I was concerned he’d munch his way through their crop, or at least the leaves, so I chased him around the chilli field until he flew off in the direction of our house. More or less. He landed in a neighbour’s garden and stayed there for two hours before eventually waddling home. I was starting to regret getting the muscovies, but since then he’s not set foot outside our plot. I suspect guineas would be a whole different story.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sorry, Biring. I'm sitting here laughing. The picture in my head of you all standing there watching the bird have some sort of break down is hilarious. 

Guineas probably wouldn't be trainable where you are, not if you have so many interesting places for them to explore. Their range is huge when they're not at the back door begging for treats.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Don't worry, I think Robin is the only person on the planet who has her Guineas trained! My Muscovies historically, have been either home bodies or very free ranging. Most have been home bodies.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

They are funny, all that bulk airborn, without much altitude.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I had a friend with Muscovies, hers were the same. Stayed right at her doorstep, literally. The girls would climb the steps to the second story balcony and make their nests.


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