My first egg and potential suspects

[Yankeepuma]

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This is my very first egg in my life, at the age of 41. I just got into this chicken venture. So, here is what I found last night and photographed this morning.





I have a very large hand (wear a size 14 ring) ....so the egg might not look as big as it is.....its a nice sized egg. Wish I had a golfball or something for comparison.




...and here are my potential suspects....I am leaning towards Black...because she has been acting a lot more skiddish all of a sudden. She is usually a lot more chill. I also don't know what kind of chicken either one is...so any help would be appreciated.






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[AshlyMommaWard]

Cocoa definitely looks like an easter egger, I can't quite see Black's comb, but she looks like she may be an easter egger as well. Congratulations, beautiful birds! Both of their combs & waddles look small & pale is this an older photo? The culprit will have likely reddened a lot more in the face and grown larger comb/ waddles.
One sure fire way to tell is to pick up the girls, holding like a football with their head pointing behind you and feel their pelvis. It will just feel like two points, below the tail. If it is narrower than "2 fingers" (if you've got large hands, keep that in mind) then they are most likely not laying. Of wider than 2 fingers they probably are. This can be used at any age, for determining lay, during molt, old age, or beginning of production. A bird that has laid will still narrow up in the pelvis when she takes a break for molt ext.
Hope that helps.
Congrats on the big pretty egg!!

 

[Yankeepuma]

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Thanks for the reply..and nope these are fresh pics...lol .....took them this morning. Had the camera out to take pics of the egg...so we had a chicken photo shoot

I haven't tried to hold them. I'm not thinking they are ready for that. They are friendly and follow me around the yard....but I can't pet them.

-Puma-

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[Yankeepuma]

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Here is another shot of Black

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

Are they your only two chickens? Granted, I can't see much of the color of Cocoa's comb.. The Pea Comb gene is said to usually cause the waddles to not get as large as say a single combed bird, which I can attest to on my single and only pea combed girl. It could be the lighting, the camera, or my phone that I use to get on BYC making their faces look pale to me.
In regards to holding them, it is important to be able to touch and examine your birds but not realistic to think that every chicken will want to or allow one to pick them up out of the yard. Mine do not enjoy it, but a couple will allow it. For the others, I wear a headlight lamp and go in the coop at least an hour after pitch dark, when they're totally asleep and gently pick them from their roost. They are very calm in the night and as long as you've got a good safe hold on them they shouldn't be bothered by it much if at all. Place them back in their exact spot on the roost when you're done. They can be very particular about where they roost & who they roost by yet can't see in the dark so trying to scuffle back to their preffered spot could injusr them or another bird by falling off in the dark.

 

[AshlyMommaWard]

Didn't see the photo of black until after I'd posted the last one, but to my (very slightly experienced) eye, she does not look quite ready to be laying. I'd expect to see a much deeper red tone in her comb. It looks a little grayish (again maybe my phone?) And some birds with traces of black on their combs can cover up the red, but I'd still lean twords not her. Do you have a more head on shot of Cocoa?

 

[Yankeepuma]

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I am about to go out and get some better shots...I didnt realize the setting on my camera had been messed with. I will be back with a new and improved set of pics ...lol

and thanks for the replies so far

-Puma-

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[AshlyMommaWard]

Wonderful, I'll be back in a bit to check for pics. I'm currently (impatiently) awaiting eggs from most of my girls, and each egg I've gotten so far has been a game of who done it, so I fully understand your excitement & desire to find the culprit!

 

[Yankeepuma]

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Here is a new shot of Cocoa

 

[Yankeepuma]

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,,,and a new shot of Black