Pullet Development: Feeding, Lighting, and When to Expect the First Egg

Between the end of brooding and the first egg, a pullet spends months growing a frame, feathers and the internal machinery of an egg layer. What you do during that time shapes her laying life. Get it right and you have a calm, productive hen for several seasons. Get it wrong and you may fight small eggs, soft shells or a pullet that stalls. This article walks through feeding, lighting and the signs that the first egg is close.

A word on timing. The age at first egg varies with breed line, season, feed and light. Heavy dual-purpose birds usually come into lay later than commercial hybrids, as we explain in our article on why Speckled Sussex mature slower, and I have not found a reliable published figure for the breed, so watch the birds and not the date. If you want help locating pullets or feed suppliers, agriculture.directory can help you find farms near you.

Feeding Stages

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension publication The Small Laying Flock lays out a straightforward plan:

• An 18 percent protein pullet starter with a coccidiostat for the first eight weeks.
• A 16 percent protein pullet developer after eight weeks, continued until the first egg.
• No layer feed for pullets younger than 16 weeks.
• After the first egg, a 16 to 18 percent protein layer ration containing 3.5 percent calcium.

The University of Missouri guide Brooding Chicks adds that complete feeds should not be diluted with grain or table scraps, because that unbalances the diet. For a heavy breed, growth is steady and long, so a developer ration and enough feeder space matter. Crowding at the feeder lets the bossy birds eat well and the shy ones fall behind, and the flock ends up uneven.

Why layer feed waits

Layer feed carries a lot of calcium, to build eggshells. A growing pullet does not need that and her kidneys and skeleton can be harmed by it. Wait until the first egg appears or the point where your feed label and extension advice say to switch. Then offer oyster shell on the side. Our guide to feeding laying hens covers the details.

Treats and foraging

Speckled Sussex are good foragers, and a pullet with a run and some greens will be happier and more active. Keep treats to a small share of the diet. If grit is not available from soil, supply some when you feed anything besides complete feed.

Lighting

Light is the main trigger for laying. According to the Texas A&M publication, after the brooding period you should not give pullets artificial light until about 18 weeks of age. At around 18 weeks you can move them to a 14-hour day, and when the flock reaches 50 percent production, raise it to 16 hours and hold that length. The publication suggests a time clock and a 60-watt bulb for every 200 square feet of floor space. That plan is written for a small laying flock, and the right schedule depends on your latitude, your housing and the season the pullets hatched in.

The practical lessons are these:

1. Do not push young pullets with extra light. Early stimulation can start laying before the body is ready.
2. Never reduce day length once laying has begun, because a drop can send hens into a molt.
3. Natural seasons matter. Pullets that mature into short autumn days may wait until spring on their own.

Our article on why hens stop laying in winter covers what to do about light in the cold months.

Housing and Space

Pullets need more room as they grow. The Missouri guide lists about three to four square feet per bird for heavy breeds at 12 weeks and older, counting the coop floor space. Give them roosts, plenty of ventilation and a predator-proof run. Our article on coop design shows how to set up roosts and nest boxes.

Moving pullets into the adult flock needs care. Wait until they are close to full size, and introduce them gradually, using a see-but-don't-touch pen first. Our guide on introducing new hens explains the steps.

Signs the First Egg Is Close

• Comb and wattles turn bright red and fill out. This is the most useful sign.
• The squat. A pullet crouches when you approach or reach down to her.
• Nest interest. She inspects boxes, sits in them and calls.
• Wider pelvis. If you handle your birds, the gap between the pelvic bones widens, and the vent looks moist and larger.
• Body weight. A pullet that is thin and small for her breed may delay.

Put fake eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes to show pullets where to lay, and keep the boxes clean and dim.

What the First Eggs Look Like

First eggs are often small, odd-shaped or double-yolked, and they may come at irregular intervals. That is normal. Brown eggs typical of the breed may be paler at first. Eggs should settle in size and shape over the following weeks. If a hen strains, sits listlessly, or has a swollen, dirty or protruding vent, treat it as an emergency, and see our guide to first aid for backyard hens and call a vet. You may also want to check on selling eggs once your flock is productive, and our guide to selling backyard eggs explains local rules.

A Developing Pullet Checklist

1. Starter, then developer, free choice.
2. Natural light only until about 18 weeks, per the Texas A&M plan.
3. Room to roam, perch and forage.
4. Parasite checks every few weeks.
5. Nest boxes ready before the comb reddens.
6. Switch to layer feed once she lays, with oyster shell offered separately.

Raising pullets is a long game, and farm folk know the feeling. For a light-hearted view on the egg business, see farm.fm's farm-fresh egg story.