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MY FIRST EGG!!!...or what's left of it. *UPDATE: I got my replacement!!!*

post #1 of 25
2/27/12 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 

I was out cleaning the coop thinking "Why are these pine shavings so soggy?"

 

hit.gif Here's my answer. I am so beyond upset right now...so beyond it...Nice first egg...

 

I have waited so long for this egg, or should I say remains of a shell and yolk soaked pine shavings. I also am keeping my chickens against HOA rules just for eggs! Way to start off your laying Pumpkin! What would have been a beautiful, light blue-green EE egg is now a globby mess in the trash. It looked like Pumpkin laid the egg in the nestbox like a good little girl and when she got up, the others went in and started doing the little scratch-and-peck thing, stepping on the egg and burying the evidence with pine shavings for me to stick my hand into later and get a nice suprise. It has, or had, a nice shell and everything but i'm sure 4 fat chickens stepping on it can turn it into a mangled and crushed little thing easily.

barnie.gif WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?


Edited by PoultryQueen29 - 3/2/12 at 5:10pm

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

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post #2 of 25
2/27/12 at 6:38pm

Bummer!  That first egg is always special.sad.png  Still, though, at least she's started laying!  She might be a little sporadic at first, but you'll soon be getting more eggs than you can eat!  Also...it is possible that it was a little thin shelled.  Our girls step on each other's eggs but they don't break.  I've even seen our 60lb. dog accidentally give one a little kick and it didn't break.  Pullet first eggs are often not quite up to standard, so it may be that the others will be more durable.

 

Congrats on having a laying hen! highfive.gif

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post #3 of 25
2/28/12 at 1:28pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks big_smile.png No egg today but I got another one squatting! They are all following Pumpkin's example now. I'm suprised though becuase Pumpkin (EE) was the first to squat and lay out of my silkie, polish/silkie mutt, and speckled sussex. I'm already wrong because I thought my first egg would be from Snow, my speckled sussex. Now Sandy, my polish mutt, is squatting! She is a major mix. All I know is she has silkie and polish in her so I am very suprised she is squatting so soon! Why is my Sussex not laying yet? Everyone said she would lay at 18-20 weeks probably and she's just about 23 weeks.

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply
post #4 of 25
2/28/12 at 7:23pm

Uhm, uh...that's me admitting I don't know the first thing about Sussex! lol.png  I can tell you that it varies from bird to bird, and that our easter eggers were actually pretty early layers.  Silkies are known as late layers--I don't count on it til eight months, though it's often sooner.  So, that would be great if your silkie mix started laying earlyish!

 

Either way, you are in for fun times!  Collecting eggs is da' bomb!

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post #5 of 25
2/29/12 at 1:14pm
Thread Starter 

That's why I got them! I thought collecting my own eggs would be nice :)

 

I got another soft-shelled broken one today. I found almost the whole egg shell so I can see she is laying small-medium eggs that are a really pretty light turquoise. At first I thought it was shell-less but then I saw there is definately a very thin shell. Am I doing something wrong? I feed them Purina Layena and normally oyster shell but I ran out and haven't gotten to going to TSC. I also give them cracked corn or button quail eggs as a treat occasionally but my button has been laying shell-less egg for the past week and a half so they haven't gotten the eggs for a while. 

 

Sandy squatted for me again today so can't wait for an egg from her! I wonder what size they will be. She's medium sized if you compare her to Pumpkin (EE) and Luna (silkie). Pumpkin is a giant and Luna is the smallest thing in the world. The silkies I had last year were so much bigger at 16 weeks than she is at 20!

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply
post #6 of 25
2/29/12 at 6:44pm

I would make sure they have access to oyester shells and/or mashed egg shells, for sure.  You could also offer them greens and/or vitamins, but I honestly suspect that she's just learning how to lay.  However, we've only gotten a couple of soft-shelled eggs, so maybe someone with more experience will step in?  Stress can also disrupt a hens laying cycle.  Have they been under any extra stress lately?

 

And, you need to post pics!  I'm getting so I feel like I know your girls, but haven't seen them yet! big_smile.png

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post #7 of 25
3/1/12 at 1:14pm
Thread Starter 

I'm going to go to TSC tomorrow or Saturday and get some oyster shell. They are stress-free little chickens, too. I haven't moved them lately or anything. I just go and take care of them daily and that has never stressed them out.

 

My Speckled Sussex started squatting today big_smile.png Pumpkin set off a chain reaction! The only one not squatting/laying now is my silkie, Luna. That was predictable though.

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply
post #8 of 25
3/1/12 at 1:27pm

I got my first egg in a rain storm & my Mom & I were cleaning the coop & one of our 2 hens came in Clucking & Squawking. I was my job to refill the nesting boxes with new shavings & I saw this light brown lump & I started jumping up & down & calling my Mom. (That was when I was 7 now I'm 12)

I have 3 dogs, 5 cats, 1 bunny, 1 guinea pig, 1 gecko, 1 turtle, 1 beta fish, 1 donkey, 2 goats, 17 hens, and 9 chicks!!!!!!!! That's 41 total! I'm 13, and I'm a professional actress/dancer/singer. I love my little farm, and HomeSchooled life and nothing can change that!
Reply
I have 3 dogs, 5 cats, 1 bunny, 1 guinea pig, 1 gecko, 1 turtle, 1 beta fish, 1 donkey, 2 goats, 17 hens, and 9 chicks!!!!!!!! That's 41 total! I'm 13, and I'm a professional actress/dancer/singer. I love my little farm, and HomeSchooled life and nothing can change that!
Reply
post #9 of 25
3/1/12 at 1:36pm
  • Shayna
  • I ♥ My Polka-Dotted Chickens

Congrats on your first egg!  Sorry you weren't able to get it intact.  You do need to get oyster shell as soon as possible.  Feeding the girls eggs with the shell on is a good source of calcium HOWEVER when you say that you've been feeding them button eggs, I really hope you've been cooking and chopping up the egg.  If you've been feeding them raw egg, they've been taught to eat eggs and you may never get to an egg before them.  I've heard of nestboxes that roll the egg backwards away from the hen to an area only you can access.  You may have to do that if they're eating the eggs after you get the shells hardened.  Good luck!  How exciting to have such pretty eggs!

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post #10 of 25
3/1/12 at 4:52pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks! I do cook up the button eggs. I love the color of her eggs, too! I cant wait to get one intact! Maybe Sandy or Snow will lay a nice strong egg as their first egg and show Pumpkin how it's done wink.png

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply

R. I. P. Tipsy- Silly Barred Rock Pullet

 September 28, 2011- December 5, 2011

 

R. I. P. Luna- Sweet Black Silkie Pullet 

October 10, 2011-April 30, 2012

 

I'll miss you!

 

 

 

Reply
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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › MY FIRST EGG!!!...or what's left of it. *UPDATE: I got my replacement!!!*