19 and a half weeks old and still no eggs :( egg countdown anyone??

[blondiebee181]

Yep. Those Egg Charms are worth their weight in golden eggs!

No bonfire dancing tonight, though. We need to tell the girls to slow down a bit. Our sweet Cuckoo laid this egg without a shell right at lights out tonight -- trying to meet her quota and get us to a full 3 dozen eggs in one day. He went in there to tuck them in, as one does, and noticed her acting distressed on the perch, so he offered to take a look at her bum for her, and this popped out right into his hand.




So now I'm thinking ... keep them all lined up on the perches, bums toward the center of the coop, and position Nelson in the middle with a catcher's mitt. They can just fire the eggs right at him and he can shuffle them straight into the cartons. And we won't need to build any more nesting boxes.

Amiright?

BWAAAHAAAAaaaaa!!!! Yes!

 

[blondiebee181]

Is there any way to tell if your girl is about to lay an egg? Wasn't sure if there any signs to look for...

How old are they? My youngest to lay was 16 1/2 weeks and the oldest was 21 or 22...I got lucky most on here weren't until 28 or even later. Watch for the "squat"...this is when you walk up to the hen and bend over like you're gonna pet her and instead of running off, she will crouch down with her shoulders hunched and her tail to one side. This is not a sign she will lay tomorrow, but it is a sign of sexual maturity. A hen crouches when the rooster is ready to do his thang...also if they are checking out your nest boxes and scratching around as if they are "arranging" things is a good sign. If their combs and wattles are getting big and red and waxy, that's good too.

 

[DianaMallory]

Are you feeding them laying feed? If not get some! And the girl at Meyer hatchery told me to feed them oats it helps promote larger eggs!

 

[DianaMallory]

Yep. Those Egg Charms are worth their weight in golden eggs!

No bonfire dancing tonight, though. We need to tell the girls to slow down a bit. Our sweet Cuckoo laid this egg without a shell right at lights out tonight -- trying to meet her quota and get us to a full 3 dozen eggs in one day. He went in there to tuck them in, as one does, and noticed her acting distressed on the perch, so he offered to take a look at her bum for her, and this popped out right into his hand.




So now I'm thinking ... keep them all lined up on the perches, bums toward the center of the coop, and position Nelson in the middle with a catcher's mitt. They can just fire the eggs right at him and he can shuffle them straight into the cartons. And we won't need to build any more nesting boxes.

Amiright?

Put sand on the coop floor and you don't have to worry about being there to catch them! I have sand and it is a good thing because I had one who kept laying at night from the roost. Never broke one! Not even the first soft shell!

 

[Free2BMe2798]

I think that 17.5 weeks is pretty darned early for MOST birds. I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist just yet. I'm figuring most likely 20 weeks at the earliest and would be happy to be surprised by one going early and wouldn't be surprised by having to wait until 24. HOPEFULLY no longer than that for "first" egg. I do have 6 breeds and I think some are slower maturing that others so even 24 weeks might be early for them.

I guess I have to try for the impossible and reign in my impatience! Of my 13 just turned 20 week old pullets, only 1 is laying. One of the 4 WLHs laid her first egg a week ago and has only missed 1 day of the last 8 so I very happy about that. I had been told the golden comets would lay earlier which is why I got them. I did know it would be at least 6 months before the first set of welsummers began to lay and half of my pullets won't be laying until next spring. I just can't wait for the time when I am overrun with eggs because right now, my family and I are fighting over that 1 egg a day!

 

[7 Biddies]

I just can't wait for the time when I am overrun with eggs because right now, my family and I are fighting over that 1 egg a day!

Be careful what you wish for ...

 

[bruceha2000]

Okay, I just had to share...




Gift idea!

Wow, I gotta get me some of the chickens that lay that kind of egg!!

OK, so enough joking around. Stencils or are you amazingly talented?

Never mind, I just read a later post that said you hand painted them. I'm very impressed. And SERIOUSLY behind on this thread. I'll never catch up.

Bruce

 

[bruceha2000]

Put sand on the coop floor and you don't have to worry about being there to catch them! I have sand and it is a good thing because I had one who kept laying at night from the roost. Never broke one! Not even the first soft shell!

I have to believe that a 4' drop into sand will break an egg as surely as dropping it on concrete. MAYBE they wouldn't break if they fell into many, MANY inches of pine shavings that haven't packed. Must be your roosts aren't very high?

 

[bruceha2000]

OK... weird weird stuff going on....

I really don't have a visual on what squatting is so when i let the chickies out this afternoon i stood around
watching them to see if i could see anything.. They love to come out and zoom out of the coop at top speed
when I open it. (they have to stay inside until i get back from work because of the dogs).... Soooooo

there i am standing around, I have a buttercup who flies up and sits on my shoulder which she was doing....
and then suddenly they all took off running as fast as their little legs would go, all back into the coop...
one faverolle was left behind and she was sitting behind a garbage can making noises... shes' still sitting
there and the others now won't come out of the coop, they are all sitting on the floor iniside?????

I think it is a chicken thing

Mine do weird stuff like that too. Once one bird decides to go somewhere, especially back in the barn, they ALL think they should go. And if they are further from the barn than the others, and ESPECIALLY if the others are moving somewhat quickly, it is "bat outta hell" time. Then they come up fast to a stopped bird and it is "shields up". All chest up, fluff and posturing like they are being attacked. Don't they know it takes a bit to stop a chicken at full run, like when THEY do it?

Just yesterday they all followed me out between the 2 barns when I went to see where they were. I went around the corner for a couple of minutes and when I came back, they were all back in the barn. So I say "chickens it is nice outside, won't be for long, winter is coming, there won't be any grass; come out in the sun".

All the girls came back out between the barns. I went about my business and next thing I know they are all gone except Dee. I watched her for a couple of minutes eating grass and clover and she suddenly looks around and thinks "OMG, WHERE IS EVERYONE??!!!??". Head down and a flat out run to the barn. You would think they didn't know they have wings. This is a bird that can fly a 4' fence, she is in a panic and she is RUNNING? Other than the fact that we aren't going to eat them, these girls would have some seriously muscular legs and thighs compared to store bought cage broilers.

 

[bruceha2000]

Corn, rice, cooked potatoes, starches and oils or salty things like chips are the ones you want to stay away from.

Hmmm, just like for people