When Do Minorca Chickens Start Laying?
Minorca pullets typically lay their first egg at 20–26 weeks old (4.6–6 months) — a late bloomer.
- First egg window
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- pick a hatch date to see your timeline
What to expect from Minorca layers
| First egg | 20–26 weeks (4.6–6 months) |
| Egg color | white |
| Eggs per year | ≈ 200–220 in the first laying year |
| Size class | standard |
The largest Mediterranean breed, known for laying the biggest white eggs of any standard breed. Sources disagree on timing — anywhere from 18 to 26 weeks.
Why your Minorca might lay earlier or later
The 20–26 week window is typical, not guaranteed — individual hens vary, and hatchery strains of a breed often lay earlier than show-line birds bred for looks over production. The biggest wildcard is daylight: laying is triggered partly by day length, so a pullet reaching laying age in late fall commonly waits for the lengthening days of late winter, no matter what the calendar math says. Spring-hatched chicks usually run on schedule.
You'll know eggs are close when the comb and wattles flush red and the pullet starts squatting when you reach toward her — first eggs usually arrive within a week or two of the squat. Switch to layer feed around week 18 (or at the first egg), keep oyster shell available, and expect the first few eggs to be small or odd-shaped while her system calibrates. All normal, all edible.
Use the calculator above with your chicks' actual hatch date for the expected window, or compare all 30 breeds on the full First Egg Calculator.