Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[h0m3gr0wn]

I barely read through, there are over 3000 posts, haha, but thought I'd jump in. My chickens are 22 weeks! Waiting for our first egg. Noticed a funny new behavior from my easter egge. When she is scared she squats down, lol. Not sure what that is all about, but it makes me giggle. It happens if I walk up to her too fast or if a dog runs her direction. It is getting hot, I am afraid we won't get any eggs until Fall. I live in the desert...it is 95 today

 

[jklyles1]

Hi all,

Its been a super busy last few weeks. I finally got a little rest time at the lake only to come back to a broody hen and a roundworm infestation. Geez.....

Got the broody (MEAN) hen separated in another coop with no nest boxes. She tried to attack me 3 times while i was putting food and water in with her. Now she is squawking and pacing and making a huge ruckus.

Put some Wazine in the water...now i have to throw away eggs for 14 days. Makes me sick

Hope everyone is doing well. Kids get out for summer on Thursday. Let the fun begin!!!!

 

[nakstk]

I barely read through, there are over 3000 posts, haha, but thought I'd jump in. My chickens are 22 weeks! Waiting for our first egg. Noticed a funny new behavior from my easter egge. When she is scared she squats down, lol. Not sure what that is all about, but it makes me giggle. It happens if I walk up to her too fast or if a dog runs her direction. It is getting hot, I am afraid we won't get any eggs until Fall. I live in the desert...it is 95 today

Welcome!!

That squatting that your EE is doing is her way of showing that she is ready to be mounted by a Rooster. She will be giving you eggs within a week or two.

 

[kdwag]

I barely read through, there are over 3000 posts, haha, but thought I'd jump in. My chickens are 22 weeks! Waiting for our first egg. Noticed a funny new behavior from my easter egge. When she is scared she squats down, lol. Not sure what that is all about, but it makes me giggle. It happens if I walk up to her too fast or if a dog runs her direction. It is getting hot, I am afraid we won't get any eggs until Fall. I live in the desert...it is 95 today

So glad you joined us, we do have a lot of posts. So eggciting for you -- I laughed too the first time my girls squatted. And yes, eggs are soon to follow. 95-- well, we've had the 90s already here in NW Ohio followed by a round of 50s now back in the 80s to be in the 90s tomorrow and Thursday. Weather temps have been crazy. How many chickens do you have? All hens/roosters?? We LOVE photos.

 

[Ariekannairb]

My one laying hen laid a soft egg last night. So soft it was just a pile of yolk and white when I found it. I would have thought it was completely shelless but I found the shell off to the side. I hope it was just a fluke.

 

[kellykkn]

I Have 2 Rhode Island Reds that just started laying last week! I have had 1 - 2 eggs per day. I think they are both laying now, but this morning I got 2 soft shell eggs. I was broken and the other was just soft. I heard that I need to crush up the hard shells and feed it to them? Should I buy oyster shell instead?

I also hear that you shouldn't let the girls see you take the eggs, is that true?

Thanks for all the help! I am very new to this but I love my girls.

 

[kdwag]

It's always good to offer oyster shell on the side. I do give them crushed egg shells that I mix in with the oyster shell sometimes. My girls laid several soft shelled/no shelled but after a couple of weeks, the eggs were all fine. I switched them to layer feed once they started laying. I think that might help too. I've never heard anyone say you shouldn't let them see you get the eggs. I don't know that it matters. I do know it's good to clean up those soft eggs as soon as you can to keep them from eating them. I swear, for the first week I found soft shelled/no shelled on the coop floor, under the roost bar, in their run, etc. It took them a little while to get the hang of it. It's normal.

 

[jyurina]

Phoebe finally laid an egg!!!!! All my sex link but her have been laying for the last month. She finally laid one and we had our first 5 egg day.

So I had enough to hard boil and found a way to do it without peeling the white away with the shell. On a sadder note, the rooster is going. Found a home for him with an FFA member with room for him to crow...kinda sad

 

[Melabella]

I Have 2 Rhode Island Reds that just started laying last week! I have had 1 - 2 eggs per day. I think they are both laying now, but this morning I got 2 soft shell eggs. I was broken and the other was just soft. I heard that I need to crush up the hard shells and feed it to them? Should I buy oyster shell instead?

I also hear that you shouldn't let the girls see you take the eggs, is that true?

Thanks for all the help! I am very new to this but I love my girls.

to the thread Kelly!!! So happy to have you join our little group and also honored we were your first post stop!

Don't worry about the soft shell eggs, they are common in the begining, and for even quite a bit while they get it down. I feed both the egg shells and oyster shell. They eat the egg shells before they go to the oyster shell, I wonder if the egg shells have taste.. because they gobble them up. I would perhaps put both out until they are well into laying If they don't get out to free range now that everything is so green, I would feed them dark leafy vegetables in their run.. They have lots of calcium too. Yogurt is another way as a treat now and then.

I have never heard that pullets and hens shouldn't see us gather eggs, if there is areason for that, I am not aware. Maybe someone else will know.

Most of us here are just new to laying since the new year ourselves. BYC is a great place to come!

Welcome again,
Melabella

 

[Melabella]

Phoebe finally laid an egg!!!!! All my sex link but her have been laying for the last month. She finally laid one and we had our first 5 egg day.

So I had enough to hard boil and found a way to do it without peeling the white away with the shell. On a sadder note, the rooster is going. Found a home for him with an FFA member with room for him to crow...kinda sad

YEAH PHOEBE! what a good girl,, love those full egg count days, they fill the egg cartons quickly when they do that!

sorry to hear about rehoming your roo. I went through so many mixed feelings about rehoming my roo. He was a nasty son of a gun. Got lucky and found a free range farm to take him. They had over a hundred pullets and like roosters to come help. It's for the best, and he will be happy.

Keep us posted!

MB