Quick Answer: Most pullets lay their first egg around 18 weeks old, per Purina Animal Nutrition, though the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension’s ready-to-lay benchmark is 18-20 weeks and about 3.5-4 pounds body weight. The real range is wider than that single number suggests — production breeds can start at 16 weeks, heritage breeds can take until 28 weeks, and bantam breeds like Silkies often wait until 7-9 months — and the clearest signs it’s imminent are pelvic bones spreading to 3-4 finger-widths apart and combs turning large and bright red, not just a calendar date.
New keepers watching a pullet grow up almost always ask the same question first: when do I actually get an egg? The honest answer is a range, not a date, because breed, body weight, and even the season a pullet hits maturity all shift the timeline. This guide covers the real age range by breed type, the physical signs that show up in the weeks before the first egg, and what to expect (and not worry about) once it arrives.
Typical age of first egg, by breed type
| Breed type | Typical age at first egg | Example breeds |
|---|---|---|
| Production/hybrid layers | 16-18 weeks | Leghorn, ISA Brown, Golden Comet |
| Dual-purpose | 20-24 weeks | Rhode Island Red, Plymouth Rock, Australorp |
| Heritage breeds | Up to 28 weeks | Brahma, Cochin, Orpington |
| Bantam / ornamental | 7-9 months | Silkie |
A pullet that’s a week or two “late” against her breed’s typical window almost never means something’s wrong — it’s a range for a reason. What’s worth watching instead of the calendar is the set of physical signs below, since they track a pullet’s actual readiness better than her hatch date does.
The physical signs that show up first
Per University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension guidance on judging ready-to-lay pullets, three checks are the most reliable:
- Pelvic bone spacing. Feel for the two small bones on either side of the vent. A pullet who isn’t close will have them held tightly together; as she nears her first egg they spread to roughly 3-4 finger-widths apart, giving an egg room to pass.
- Comb and wattle color. Immature pullets have small, pale combs and wattles. As lay approaches, they enlarge and turn a large, bright, glossy red and feel noticeably warmer and softer (“velvety”) to the touch.
- Vent shape. A non-laying pullet’s vent is small, round, and dry. As she nears point of lay, it becomes moist, larger, and more oblong.
Behaviorally, a pullet close to laying spends noticeably more time investigating the nesting boxes, may crouch flat and still when you approach or touch her back (the same crouch reflex used in mating, and a genuine laying signal on its own), and — if a rooster is present — spends more time near him. None of these signs guarantee an egg within days, but seeing two or three together is a reliable “soon,” not a “maybe.”
Wooden or Ceramic Nest Eggs
- Placing 1-2 fake eggs in each nesting box before a pullet's first lay encourages her to use the box instead of a corner of the coop or run.
- Ceramic and wood versions won't crack or leak like a real egg left as bait, and don't attract egg-eating habits the way a broken real egg can.
Stocking up on nest boxes or a calcium supplement before the first egg shows up? Try Amazon Prime free for 30 days — two-day delivery means the coop is ready before she is, not scrambling to catch up after the first egg turns up on the floor.
What to expect from the first few eggs
Per Purina, don’t expect a normal-looking egg right away. The first several eggs a pullet lays are commonly irregular: undersized “pullet eggs,” thin or soft shells, missing yolks, or — less often — a double yolk. This isn’t a sign of illness; it’s a reproductive system still calibrating its output, and production should even out to a normal size and consistent shell within about a week or two.
That calibration period is also exactly when the feed switch matters most. Purina’s guidance: feed a starter-grower ration (higher protein, lower calcium) from day one through week 17, then move to a layer feed — 16% protein, 3.25-4.5% calcium — starting at week 18. The calcium jump isn’t a minor tweak: forming a single eggshell takes roughly 20 hours and pulls heavily on a hen’s calcium reserves, so a pullet whose diet hasn’t caught up when her first eggs arrive is more likely to lay thin or soft-shelled eggs for longer than the normal one-to-two-week settling window. Free-choice oyster shell alongside layer feed lets each bird take extra calcium only once she’s actually laying, without over-supplementing pullets who aren’t there yet.
Free-Choice Crushed Oyster Shell
- Offered in a separate dish alongside layer feed so only actively-laying hens self-select the extra calcium they need.
- Supports shell strength during the first few weeks of lay, when shells are most likely to run thin or soft.
Season matters as much as age
Age and body weight get a pullet ready, but daylight is what actually triggers ongoing production — and it applies to a first-time layer the same way it applies to an established hen. Our chicken not laying eggs guide already covers this for hens who’ve stopped: per Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension, a hen needs roughly 14 hours of daylight a day to keep her ovaries cycling. A pullet who reaches point-of-lay age in spring or summer, when days already run long, typically starts close to on schedule. A pullet who hits 18-20 weeks in late fall or winter, with daylight well under that 14-hour mark, commonly stalls at “ready” without actually starting until day length builds back up — unless a keeper adds supplemental coop lighting to bridge the gap.
The bottom line
Eighteen weeks is a fair average to plan around, but it’s an average, not a deadline — production breeds can beat it by two weeks, heritage breeds and Silkies can run well past it, and a pullet maturing into a short-daylight month can stall through no fault of her own. Watch the pelvic bones, comb, and vent rather than the calendar, have the layer feed and oyster shell ready before the switch, and expect the first few eggs to look a little odd before they settle down. If a pullet is well past her breed’s normal window with none of the physical signs showing, or a hen who was already laying suddenly stops, our chicken not laying eggs guide walks through the fuller set of causes worth checking next.