Who else is waiting for that first egg?

[ninjitsukitteh]

We got our first double yoker yesterday. We have 10 hens and have gotten as many as 7 eggs per day.  We have 7 Australorps, 1 Asian Blue and 2 Buff Orphingtons.  I know one of the Orphington's comb isn't red enough lay.  Not sure if all the Australorps are laying.

So far only my 2 red stars and 1 barred rock are laying. I have a gray polish, 2 australorps, 2 buff orpingtons, 2 easter eggers who haven't started laying yet. I'm wondering if they will even lay since winter is coming.

 

[Granny368W]

All of my layers are now laying in the nests... I one of the first eggs was a double yoke already.... Wow,and the egg wasn't even that big...
I was wondering if anybody knows what is best to keep their water from freezing.... heat tape with a sensor or a bird bath heater with a sensor?

 

[aweaver]

At the time I posted I was letting my hens out to free range in our fenced back yard most of the day - My office overlooks the back yard so I could keep an eye out. Unfortunately, three days ago I heard the hens making noise, looked out, and saw a Cooper hawk dragging my easter egger, Pickles, away; by the time I got out there, the hen was dead.

But the very next day, one of the other hens - I think the Gold Sexlink, laid the first egg! Woo-hoo!


Since the hawk attack, I've been keeping them in their run, and only letting them out into the yard when either I or my black lab are outside with them. Anyway, this got the ball rolling for them to lay in the nest boxes, and not in the bushes!

 

[Granny368W]

Today, I got 6 eggs!! Yes! They are sure getting with the program now....lol All are laying in the nests...Beautiful eggs!

 

[Granny368W]

I have had a few soft shelled eggs...So they break when they roll to the front.... I've had one with no she'll and it was all intact.. So Lucy, my dog got that one in her dinner that night...lol

 

[breanna6627]

I have had a few soft shelled eggs...So they break when they roll to the front.... I've had one with no she'll and it was all intact.. So Lucy, my dog got that one in her dinner that night...lol

Are you giving them oyster shells/ layer feed with calcium? That might cause "jelly" eggs without the right amount of calcium.

 

[bbhorsefly]

I think I'm going to BUST! I'm crying happy tears over an EGG! It's official. I have gone clean 'round the bend like my whole family has already suspected.

We got our first ever egg today!!! Beautiful green! I think it was from my very first chicken, a golden Easter Egger named Biscuit!

It must have been laid this morning since I've been closing the coop when I let them out to range in the am. I wasn't expecting any eggs until spring so I didn't even have any nest boxes! This pullet squatted once a few days ago, and not since. Then I heard horrible squawking and I thought something was eating one of my chickens, but she was standing at the back door making noise like I've never heard before! The kids were worried so I told them it may be her egg song and it may be another sign she's getting ready to lay. We checked under the bushes in the yard. Then when we found nothing I sent my daughter out to clean the coop. She came running in with the news. Biscuit must've been singing because shed waited all day for us to find it and we were not getting the hint. Haha

I think it's a really good size first egg since I have very large hands (6ft tall and can reach a piano octave easily).

 

[redsix]

I have had a few soft shelled eggs...So they break when they roll to the front.... I've had one with no she'll and it was all intact.. So Lucy, my dog got that one in her dinner that night...lol

We have gotten 2 rubber eggs since the chickens first started laying a couple months ago. I found them under the roost. i guess they laid them while on the roost. They have oyster shells.

 

[bbhorsefly]

We got our second the very next day from the same chicken!!!

Funny story: My 9 year old takes care of the chickens most mornings. And with the prospect of an egg she was excited to do her chore this morning. She came in to report, "no egg yet. But Biscuit (the culprit) is scratching around and sitting in the pebbles around the basement steps. So I think that is where she is going to lay it!" After I was ready for the day, I went out to see how things were going. Sure enough! Biscuit had made herself a nice nest in the rocks and didn't look like she was moving any time soon. I hated to bother her, but I didn't want her laying there. So I carried her to the coop. I'd made a five gallon bucket into a box last night, and I stuck her in it. It's too small.

So she just walked out of it. *sigh I contemplated locking her in the coop until she laid. But since it might be a couple days before she actually lays, I wasn't sure how that works. I told her, "I'll make you a bigger box, but at this point I just want you to lay in the coop." I glanced over to the bucket to see how much bigger I need to make the box and there was a green egg!!! She must've laid it when she was getting out of the box! It was HOT when I picked it up. Suddenly she started strutting and "singing" and carrying on. Then it was back outside to the yard with the others like nothing happened! So now we have two beautiful green eggs in as many days! This one ever so slightly larger and ever so slightly paler in color. We're thrilled!!!

 

[Granny368W]

Oh my goodness, I went out this afternoon and got all the eggs and then noticed the hens all looking at this very tiny egg....I've never seen an egg that small before... It was perfect!

I'm not really sure if this picture really shows how tiny it is, that is a quarter next to it... Rae