A contest for the duds!

[PirateGirl]

I think I may have a dud. I have 4 hens born 3/23/17. Penguin (Black Australorp) laid 8/1 at 18.5 weeks. Fancy (Speckled Sussex) laid 9/17 at 25.5 weeks. Cheeks (Easter Egger) laid 9/28 at 27.5 weeks. Buffy (Buff Orpington) either laid the large egg in the picture on 10/3 at 27.5 weeks or hasn't laid anything at all and that was a large egg from Penguin. Can anyone tell from the picture if that is from a Buff Orpington? I haven't seen another like it and the girls are now 43.5 weeks old. Buffy hasn't ever squatted but I did recently catch her going in to the coop during the day. Maybe she'll start laying once the days get longer?

That's a tough one! You definitely have 3 distinct egg colors in there. Then there are a few eggs that look like they may or may not be from a 4th layer. How does Buffy's comb and wattles look? Does she look like she is laying? Hopefully she will be inspired by your other girls activity in the nest box. Even if she's only laid one or two eggs in her life, she's gotta get with the program and lay a few more.

It took me almost two weeks of eggs to figure out that I had an additional layer. They were so close in size and color, I wouldn't believe it until I got two eggs that looked like that on the same day. Only time will tell. I'd recommend eating the large egg. One time I was thrilled because I got a large egg and thought I had a new layer, and it turned out to just be a double yolker and not a new layer at all.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Final update! What a joy! Today we FINALLY have every girl laying! So the first layer was at 23 weeks, the second at 26 weeks. The third (Babs, Rhode Island Red) started at seven months (laying at the beginning of December) and now.... drumroll...

Aurora, black Australorp started laying two days ago and today Holly (Rhode Island Red) laid her first egg! So they crossed the finish line at almost nine months, whew!

So the late layers bookended the winter solstice. Right now we have about 10 hours of daylight and they do not get any supplemental light. Way to go, ladies! Maybe now we won't have to buy eggs for a little while, I hope?

 

[Mommygirl1128]

Final update on me as well. It's been a while since I posted. My EE finally laid her first egg yesterday, a pretty mint green, and it was perfect! She just turned 9 months old on Wednesday!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Final update on me as well. It's been a while since I posted. My EE finally laid her first egg yesterday, a pretty mint green, and it was perfect! She just turned 9 months old on Wednesday!

Congratulations! To you both I wouldn't have guessed it would take this long... but once winter set in I figured they'd drag their "feet" until spring. No so! Brutal winter be damned! Go girls!

 

[PirateGirl]

Final update! What a joy! Today we FINALLY have every girl laying! So the first layer was at 23 weeks, the second at 26 weeks. The third (Babs, Rhode Island Red) started at seven months (laying at the beginning of December) and now.... drumroll...

Aurora, black Australorp started laying two days ago and today Holly (Rhode Island Red) laid her first egg! So they crossed the finish line at almost nine months, whew!

So the late layers bookended the winter solstice. Right now we have about 10 hours of daylight and they do not get any supplemental light. Way to go, ladies! Maybe now we won't have to buy eggs for a little while, I hope?

Wow! You might be the only one here that has their whole flock laying hopefully everyone's girls follow suit. Congrats. Enjoy your omelettes, your quiches, your souffles, anything you can make with more than one egg!

 

[PirateGirl]

Final update on me as well. It's been a while since I posted. My EE finally laid her first egg yesterday, a pretty mint green, and it was perfect! She just turned 9 months old on Wednesday!

Let's see a pic of your green egg! Now you can make some green eggs and ham! Haha. Enjoy.

 

[Mommygirl1128]

 

[Mommygirl1128]

The brown egg is from one of my RSL. They have been laying since 8/28/17 and 9/3/17. So now my flock of 3 are all laying! The picture makes it look more white than it is in person. She started squatting about 2 weeks ago, and on Monday, there was no doubt, full on squat. I kept telling my hubby any day now, he was not as hopeful, he said don't get your hopes up, she's a dud. She proved him wrong!

 

[driver]

I am dud-free as of yesterday! (not counting the retiree).
Upper left - EE (38 weeks, laid yesterday)
Upper right - Cuckoo Marans (34.5 weeks)
Middle left - Golden Comet (23 weeks)
Middle right - Black Australorp (35 weeks)
Lower left - another Cuckoo Marans
Lower right - Golden Laced Wyandotte (29.5 weeks)

 

[PirateGirl]

I am dud-free as of yesterday! (not counting the retiree).
Upper left - EE (38 weeks, laid yesterday)
Upper right - Cuckoo Marans (34.5 weeks)
Middle left - Golden Comet (23 weeks)
Middle right - Black Australorp (35 weeks)
Lower left - another Cuckoo Marans
Lower right - Golden Laced Wyandotte (29.5 weeks)
View attachment 1253339

Woo hoo! No more duds! Don't you love when the eggs are different colors and you can tell who laid what? Much easier to see who is slacking