Chicken Age Calculator
Enter your chicken’s hatch date to see its age in weeks and its current life stage.
AgeEnter a hatch date
What to do at each stage
Enter a hatch date above and the stage you are in is marked here.
Chick, 0 to 6 weeks
Heat is the whole job: about 95°F under the lamp in week one, then 5°F less each week until they are feathered. Chick starter only, and grit if they eat anything else.
Next: brooder temperature by week, how much feed a flock eats.
Pullet, 6 to 18 weeks
Off heat and growing fast. Grower feed, not layer: the extra calcium in layer feed is hard on a bird that is not laying yet. This is when to size the coop for the adult birds they are about to become.
Point of lay, 18 to 21 weeks
Switch to layer feed and put nesting boxes in before the first egg, not after. Expect small, odd first eggs, sometimes without a shell. A reddening comb and a squat when you reach down mean it is close.
Laying hen
Peak laying is the first year, easing off after that. Keep oyster shell available separately so each hen takes the calcium she needs, and watch for the first autumn moult.
Senior hen, 3 years and up
Laying becomes occasional and moults last longer. Protein during the moult helps feathers regrow; a lower perch and easier access to feed and water help as she slows down.
Next: when she lays again after a moult, why a hen stops laying.
How old is my chicken if you don’t know the hatch date?
Most people who buy a point-of-lay pullet or rehome an adult hen have no hatch date to work from. You can still place a bird within a reasonable range by reading its body, and the younger the bird, the more precise you can be.
Telling a chick’s age by feathering
Chicks change fast enough that the first two months are readable week by week. A bird under a week old is all down with no real wing feathers. Wing and tail feathers push through around weeks 1–3, and by weeks 4–6 the down is mostly replaced by proper feathers, though the head and neck finish last. By 7–9 weeks a chick is fully feathered, noticeably leggy and awkward, and no longer needs a heat source.
Comb, wattles, and plumage in older birds
From roughly 12 weeks the comb and wattles start to grow and redden, and a hen approaching point of lay has a comb that is full-sized, bright red, and glossy — the most reliable signal that eggs are weeks away rather than months. A pale, shrunken comb means a bird that is not currently laying: either too young, moulting, or well past her prime.
Legs and feet after the first year
Past about a year the legs become the best clue. A young hen has smooth, tight leg scales and clean, bright shanks. As she ages the scales thicken and lift into a rougher texture, the colour fades, and the toenails grow longer and more curved. Yellow-legged breeds also lose leg pigment as they lay, so a bird with pale, washed-out shanks has usually laid a lot of eggs. None of this gives you an exact number — but smooth legs plus a bright comb reads as under two years, while rough scales and long nails point to a senior hen of three or more.
Wondering what to expect from a hen once you have pinned down her age? Egg output peaks in the first year and tapers after that — the chicken egg calculator estimates a realistic count by breed and age. And if you have just discovered your “hen” is crowing, read whether you need a rooster to get eggs.
How we calculate it
Age = today − hatch date. Stages: chick under 6 weeks, pullet 6 to 18 weeks, point of lay 18 to 21 weeks, laying after ~21 weeks, senior past ~3 years.
Based on:
- Most hens reach point of lay around 18 to 22 weeks (University of Minnesota Extension)
- Laying declines as hens age past their first two to three years (Mississippi State Extension)
- Pullets typically begin laying around 18 to 20 weeks (Penn State Extension)
Figures are typical guidelines for planning. Your birds, breed, climate, and feed will vary.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell how old my chicken is?
If you know the hatch date, enter it above for an exact age. Without it, judge by feathering (chicks are fluffy), comb and wattle development, and leg-scale condition: older hens have rougher, thicker leg scales.
At what age do hens start laying?
Most standard breeds begin laying at 18–22 weeks (about 5 months). Larger breeds like Orpingtons and Brahmas can take up to 24–28 weeks.
How long do backyard chickens live?
Backyard hens commonly live 5–8 years, though egg production drops sharply after age 2–3. With good care some hens reach 10 years or more.