Got my first egg today, have a ton of questions ...

[MaLoTu]

Sorry for any redundancy! Please point me in the direction of other threads if necessary.

I got my first egg today. You can read the details here and there is a picture: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1011978/got-my-first-egg

I heard that eggs are usually small (which this one was), but it was nice and solid, not squishy at all. Is that normal? I swtiched them to layer feed about 7 days ago because I needed pellets instead of crumbles, maybe that is a reason?

She laid way off in the back of the yard in the late morning hours. Is there anyway to get her to lay in the nesting boxes? The only thing I can think to do is clean all the little shady spots out of the yard (well, as much as possible). I am worried because I have 12 that have been free ranging for the last few weeks and I don't want rotten eggs around the yard!

How long before the eggs need refrigerated and how long are they good for? I thought about getting a date stamper, but would it be ok to write the date on with a sharpie?

Thanks in advance!

 

[QueenMisha]

Yes. You can get shell-less or squishy eggs during the first few weeks, but it's great that your first one has a strong shell. And it's actually ideal to switch hens to a layer feed before they start laying, to promote strong eggs - they can be switched as early as 16 weeks.

You can try placing golf balls or ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes to show her they are a safe place to lay. Eliminating nesting areas outdoors would be ideal too.

Eggs don't actually need to be refrigerated. They will last longer refrigerated, but an egg will still last about 3 weeks sitting out on the counter (2 weeks if it's very hot in the house). You can write on an egg with anything, sharpies work, so do pencils.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Congrats on the first egg!
Not all first eggs will be soft/shell-less, many pullets go right into production wiht fully formed, shelled eggs. A bird can also produce several fully formed eggs and then throw a few "off" eggs into the mix. It's really just a matter of the fits and starts that can occur as all the moving parts of her repro system get up and running in sync with each other. Also, often times folks don't catch the shell-less eggs as they are laid outside of the nest box and consumed by the birds.
For nest training - place some "bait" (wooden eggs, golf balls, etc) in the nests so they see them and realize that is what those box things are for. It can be helpful to curb the free ranging during the first bit of production as well to increase the chances of them seeing the boxes at the moment they feel the urge to nest up and lay vs. being out wandering and finding another place to do their thing. If you can't bear the idea of no free ranging, consider turning them out for just an hour or two late in the evening to make it most likely they are confined near the coop during the peak hours of likely produciton.