The coming-into-lay calendar

This table brings together, week by week, what you do and what you should see. It combines the lighting programme (lesson 3), the target weight and the laying targets of the reference strain.

Age	What you do	Target weight	What you should see
16 to 17 weeks	Move into the laying house; nest boxes in place; pre-lay feed	1,350 to 1,425 g at 16 weeks	Calm pullets that find water and feed
18 weeks	Weigh before any stimulation; light at 12 h	1,480 to 1,580 g	Uniform flock
19 weeks	Light + 1 h if the weight is reached	1,560 to 1,660 g	First eggs around 19 to 20 weeks
20 weeks	Light + 1 h; layer feed from the first eggs	1,625 to 1,730 g	Laying 15%, 48 g egg
21 weeks	Light + 1 h	1,675 to 1,780 g	Half the hens laying around 20 to 21 weeks
22 and 23 weeks	Light + 30 min each week	1,715 to 1,840 g	Laying 69% at 22 weeks, 53 g egg
24 weeks and over	Light stable at 16 h	1,765 to 1,860 g	Laying 94.5% at 25 weeks, 57.6 g egg

Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).

Before the first eggs: the laying house ready

The pullets are moved into the laying house around 16 to 17 weeks, before the first eggs. This gives them time to discover the drinkers, feeders and nest boxes before laying starts. The details of the transfer are covered in level 5; here, you check that everything is ready.

House washed, disinfected, downtime completed before the pullets arrive.
Nest boxes in place, clean and lined, before laying starts: a hen that gets used to laying on the floor keeps the habit.
Enough drinkers and feeders, set at the right height.
Supplementary lighting and timer tested, with a backup in case of a power cut.
Nothing new for the hens to learn when the first eggs come: the change of house has already been absorbed.

Changing the feed

Before the first eggs, you switch to pre-lay feed, then to layer feed, rich in calcium, from the first eggs. The shell of every egg needs calcium: a hen that starts laying on pullet feed draws on her own bones, and her shells become fragile.

Consumption rises with laying. In full production, a layer eats about 111 to 119 g of feed a day (lesson 5). Follow the quantity distributed every day: an appetite that stalls while coming into lay is a warning.

Source: Novogen (Novogen Brown management guide, 2024).

The hen is still growing while she starts laying

Between 18 and 24 weeks, the target weight goes from 1,480–1,580 g to 1,765–1,860 g: the hen still gains nearly 300 g while starting to lay. So weighing continues every week throughout this period. A hen that loses weight as she comes into lay will not hold the peak.

The first eggs are small (48 g at 20 weeks) then get bigger (57.6 g at 25 weeks): this is normal, and it is why a pullet started too early, too light, lays small eggs for a long time.

Following the rise in laying

Every day, count the eggs and calculate the laying percentage (level 4). Compare with the targets: 15% at 20 weeks, 69% at 22 weeks, 94.5% at 25 weeks. In an open-sided house and in strong heat, your figures may be somewhat lower; what matters is that the curve rises every week. If it stalls, check weight, light, water and feed.

For the entrepreneur

›The laying house must be ready, nest boxes included, before 16 weeks: set aside the time for cleaning and downtime.
›Plan the pre-lay feed and then the layer feed in advance, so you do not change feed at the mercy of deliveries.
›Ask every week for the average weight and the laying percentage compared with the targets.

For the technician

›Move the pullets in at 16–17 weeks, with nest boxes already clean and lined.
›Weigh every week from 16 to 25 weeks; add light only if the weight is reached.
›Switch to layer feed from the first eggs and record the number of eggs every day.

The 3 questions to ask your technician this week

At what age did the pullets enter the laying house, and were the nest boxes ready?
When did we see the first eggs, and when did we switch to layer feed?
What is the laying percentage this week, compared with the target for this age?

Key points

•Move into the laying house around 16 to 17 weeks, before the first eggs; nest boxes in place, clean and lined.
•Pre-lay feed before the first eggs, then calcium-rich layer feed from the first eggs.
•First eggs around 19 to 20 weeks; half the hens laying around 20 to 21 weeks.
•Targets: 15% at 20 weeks, 69% at 22 weeks, 94.5% at 25 weeks.
•The hen still gains nearly 300 g between 18 and 24 weeks: weigh every week.

Coming into lay (16 to 25 weeks): the calendar not to miss