I have just brought home 4 iris browns when will they settle and start laying?

When they start to lay depends on a few things.



First age

How old are these birds. Isa Browns tend to start to lay early but a good way to tell when they will be laying is by looking at their face. If their combs and wattles are developed they should start laying soon. A way to tell if they are laying already is to look at their vent if it is tight and small they are not laying. If it is about the span of three fingers (points) then she is laying. If the birds are older (3 and up) then their production level will dropped and they may take longer to start laying if it is cold out.



Time of year

What is it like where you live? If your weather is as cold as mine where I live your birds will most likely not start laying until it gets warmer. Birds have a hard time laying with less then twelve hours of sunlight.



If you just got the birds and they were already laying-

They should start to lay within a few days. Most hens lay in the morning. For the first week or so you may want to keep the hens close to the nest so you don't have to search through their eggs that they laid all over the yard.



How to help them get ready for egg laying-

Make sure that you have one nesting box per five hens. The nesting box should be in a dark and quite place filled with straw, sawdust, or a laying mat. Feeding the birds good quality food will also increase their laying ability.



Hope this helps, if you have any questions feel free to contact me via email.

I have just brought home 4 iris browns when will they settle and start laying?
how old are they