Ideas for when my hens will start laying???

[RIredlady]

I found the first egg this afternoon! Unfortunately it must have been done at some point while I was at work, someone had broken it

. Thank you everyone for the tips!

 

[Isaac 0]

They have oyster shells available right?

 

[RIredlady]

oyster shells?

 

[carlf]

Oyster Shells= calcium supplement.
Should be provided to hens once they start laying.

 

[RIredlady]

Ahh, I did not know this, I thought most of the foods had sufficient supplement in them. I will pick some up this afternoon.

 

[Isaac 0]

Yeah they will eat there eggs for calcium if they don't have enough

 

[Roosurdaddy]

My chickens were hatched at the end of April. I have 2 Leghorns, 2 EEs, 2 RIRs, and 2 Marans. My two Leghorns were the first to lay at 18 weeks. I noticed that their combs and waddles had seemed to fill in and turn bright red over just a couple of days.
In the past when I would try to pet them they wanted nothing to do with me, but then when the comb filled in, they would stand right next to me, I could hold them, pet them and now they are the first to come see me in the mornings. Now they do not want me to hold or pet any of the other hens.
They will peck and (puff) raise their feathers to scare the other hens away. My RIRs combs have turned bright red, and I just found an egg in the run. So my first brown egg. If these signs hold true my EEs should be real soon.

 

[RIredlady]

None of mine have been to thrilled to see me other than when I've got food and treats. So far I've had 2 eggs. Will I still need a calcium supplement if I'm feeding them a layer type feed? Will they consistently lay eggs at this time or is it sporadic like a women's first few menstruation cycles?

 

[Isaac 0]

Layer feeds indeed include oyster shells but if its at the point that there eating it you might need to buy a bag of oyster shells

 

[carlf]

They start sporadic. Expect some soft shell eggs and eggs laid all over the place at first.