1st egg!! Now what?

[frankenchick]

Our Miss Prissy laid her first egg today! We have taken pictures and the egg has pride of place in the fridge in its own egg carton.

Now, with school about to start, I'm wondering if there's any way to get the girls to lay earlier (MP's egg arrived at about 9 am) so I can collect them before going to school (they all spend the day in their big pen).

 

[justusnak]

Hens will lay when they are ready.....really no way to condition them into laying earlier....They should be ok...mine stay in the coop all day, I usually bring them all in about 2 or 3 pm. If you are concerned about freshness...just do the float test. Put them in water, if they float, thay are bad. GOOD eggs will lay flat on the bottom...slightly standing, they are ok, just not as fresh.

 

[frankenchick]

My main concern is that they'll lay an egg in the pen and that it'll get broken. I don't want any egg-eaters in my flock!