It seems horse girl-ing and chicken ladies can go hand-in-hand. For those of you with your first flock, the waiting can seems like forever. Trust me though... they will start laying!
On average, pullets start laying eggs at about 6 months of age, depending on the breed. Larger, heavier birds like Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks and Orpingtons might take a bit longer whereas lighter, smaller breeds like Leghorns, Stars, and Australorps will start laying sooner. Leghorns are super prolific! Highly recommended! If you get your chicks in the winter, remember having them come to maturity at the coldest, darkest part of the year, they will sometimes not begin laying until spring: six months is just the average!
I use Fly Predators biological fly control so my property is pretty much fly free. I do have few that venture over to my coop from the neighbors house. For those, I've placed a Bugpellent in their coop to keep those flies at bay!