We have an EGG!!!!!! Help!!!???

[Toddrick]

The birds look like anywhere from 12-16 weeks of age. 12 and 16 week olds do not have a lot of difference in appearance, except that 16 week olds are a bit bigger. (I work at a poultry specialty store and we regularly have 50-200 birds of these varied ages there, so I've had a lot of time to see the differences.)

12 week olds cannot lay. The very earliest a hen can lay is 16 weeks. If a hen is laying, she's ready for a layer feed.

There is one difference besides size, the comb/wattle.

 

[QueenMisha]

If the first pictures (that look like 12 week olds) were from four weeks ago, and now they have red combs/wattles, the. I'd say they are around 16 weeks old. That makes perfect sense, the store just gave you the wrong age. Pullets normally grow a red comb/wattles right before laying. In production breed 16-18 weeks is fairly normal time to start laying.

x2. It's usually closer to 18 even in production breeds, but 16 weeks definitely occurs at times.

 

[junebuggena]

Since they're on unmedicated chick feed, you don't ever need to switch them to layer feed. All you have to do is provide some crushed oyster shell for them to pick through for calcium.
It can take a few weeks for everything to start working together properly. Soft shelled eggs are very common in new layers even when they have access to calcium.

 

[QueenMisha]

Since they're on unmedicated chick feed, you don't ever need to switch them to layer feed. All you have to do is provide some crushed oyster shell for them to pick through for calcium.
It can take a few weeks for everything to start working together properly. Soft shelled eggs are very common in new layers even when they have access to calcium.

There's not really any reason not to switch to a layer feed. While I keep my flock on non-med chick/turkey start & grow + oyster shell supplements year round, this is because I have mixed laying hens, meat birds, and gamebirds living together. With a simple laying hen flock there's no reason to stay on a high-protein feed. They can only absorb so much protein and 16% is all they require most times of the year. Even during molting or stress they only need a 17 or 18%, any more is like pouring water into a glass that's already full.

 

[lindsayc1821]

We switched Lucy and Olive to layer feed on Saturday along with some oyster shells. Look what I found about 20 minutes ago!!! Super exciting!!!

 

[QueenMisha]

Congrats! Beautiful egg there.

 

[lindsayc1821]

Congrats! Beautiful egg there.

thank you!!