Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[ploub]

I have a question.My ladys are 30 weeks old and I know that when they start laying their eggs are small.Since mine may be laying at an older age will their first eggs be bigger?I do have one laying she lays a double yolk eggs every time she lays so I have nothing to compaire new eggs to theirfore I don't know if I have a new one laying or if she just took the day off from the double yolk.

 

[jtbass2756]

I have a question.My ladys are 30 weeks old and I know that when they start laying their eggs are small.Since mine may be laying at an older age will their first eggs be bigger?I do have one laying she lays a double yolk eggs every time she lays so I have nothing to compaire new eggs to theirfore I don't know if I have a new one laying or if she just took the day off from the double yolk.

I found that my ladies had to go thru an adjustment period anyway. Some soft shelled, some narrow and long, some petite.....you never know what you will get....their bodies just have to get adjusted. Hang in there with them..cause..they will get it going. Might even get some double yokers here and there.

 

[Ariekannairb]

It has been a while since I posted, but as of right now at least 10 of my 24 girls are laying. I have 6 that are still too young anyways. I get anywhere from 8-10 eggs per day. I will be very happy when we are getting about 15 per day. Selling them hasn't been a problem at all, but I am under no delusion that I am going to get rich from this venture LOL. Mostly, I break even and get enjoyment out of it.

 

[nakstk]

I am only getting 1 to 2 eggs per day right now that's if I am lucky. I have one broody hen and the rest are molting.

 

[KilnChick]

So far a daily average of 12 eggs! You go girls!!

 

[jlstoltz]

Can I join in? I have ten RIRs that are just starting to lay. Well three of them are but not the rest. They are all the same age except 4 who were born about 2 weeks after the 6. We call the the original four. We had 8 initially. Had a hawk attack and kill all but 4. Covered the coop and yard with bird netting and it stopped the attacks. Then went and bought 6 more. I have a question though. If they are almost the same age why are only 3 laying?? They do free range around the yard and garden but I do a thorough search each day and I do not see evidence of them laying outside of their coop. I want more eggs Ladies!!!

 

[xshoshin]

Wow, it's been a long time since I checked in! So much fun to read the first egg stories...congratulations to all!

So many posts worrying about when the first egg will come... let me tell you about Velcro. I bought six baby chicks last October, an EE named Brownie, a silver laced Wyandotte (Lacey), australorp "Jemima", black Cochin "Apple" (because she has rounded corners LOL), a silver laced red Wyandotte who was ultimately named "Pretty Boy" and now lives on a farm, and lastly, my barred rock 'Velcro'. Of my five hens, four began laying in their twenty something weeks but Velcro would not lay. She is definitely a girl, but she would not lay. We postulated many reasons...she was alpha and taking over in the absence of a rooster, she was eggbound, she was a mutant...ad infinitum. Out of the blue at 11 MONTHS old, Velcro laid her first egg...a tiny little thing that we thought was Velcro just sticking her tongue out at us. But she continues to lay and her eggs are now normal sized. So, for those of you panicking because your chicks are 24 weeks old and not laying, sometimes a hen just needs 48 weeks to make up her mind.
:cd
They don't all lay every day though...I can get anywhere from 1 to 5 eggs a day and there's no pattern I've been able to discern. Probably my daily average gathering is three. It's enough that we give away to friends constantly.

Chickens are just freaking hilarious. Yes, they all want the same nesting box and they make the weirdest noises when discussing ownership of same. The other day I peeked in when Velcro was on the nest and she honked at me...no other word can describe it. A couple of them use laying as an excuse for spa time...they will sit for a long long time. They love love love the dirt box I made them...they all get in and fling the dirt around and then settle in for a good dirt bath and nap. Sometimes the way they stretch out on their sides and close their eyes they look dead...scary the first time I saw one fully lounged out! Great fun to fling in a handful of crickets...they are serious hunters.

In a year's time we have been so lucky...no disease, no bad eggs, no deaths or wounds, no serious squabbling or bad behavior. They aren't much for cuddling but they follow me around...the whole flock...whenever I'm out while they're free ranging. Except for a few accidents, they go back to the coop and lay their eggs in the nest box (they have three nest boxes but they may as well just have one because they only use one...whichever one the first layer of the day chooses) and, my favorite thing of all, they put themselves to bed. Even if I forget to gather them into the run after free ranging, they all take themselves to the coop in the evening. They arrange themselves on their roosts and quietly mutter to themselves about the day while they wait for me to remember to come and lock their security gate.

I've been very very lucky with my chick chicks....now if only they didn't poop so danged much......

 

[ClewisOK]

I have a Welsummer and a Barred Rock, both hatched ~5/23/13. They'll be 20 weeks old in a few days. Nothing yet. No squatting, faces aren't particularly red, combs/wattles not growing super fast. I'm ready for these girls to start popping out eggs and earning their keep (well... I don't suppose they'll really ever earn back my money, but they can pay rent! LOL).

 

[jajeanpierre]

This afternoon I reached under a pullet--she'd been in the box for hours--with my dirty hands and felt something wet. A minute later the pullet produced an egg. Did I touch the egg? Did I introduce bacteria into her reproductive tract? I'm really annoyed with myself for not being more careful.

 

[KilnChick]

Wow, it's been a long time since I checked in! So much fun to read the first egg stories...congratulations to all!

So many posts worrying about when the first egg will come... let me tell you about Velcro. I bought six baby chicks last October, an EE named Brownie, a silver laced Wyandotte (Lacey), australorp "Jemima", black Cochin "Apple" (because she has rounded corners LOL), a silver laced red Wyandotte who was ultimately named "Pretty Boy" and now lives on a farm, and lastly, my barred rock 'Velcro'. Of my five hens, four began laying in their twenty something weeks but Velcro would not lay. She is definitely a girl, but she would not lay. We postulated many reasons...she was alpha and taking over in the absence of a rooster, she was eggbound, she was a mutant...ad infinitum. Out of the blue at 11 MONTHS old, Velcro laid her first egg...a tiny little thing that we thought was Velcro just sticking her tongue out at us. But she continues to lay and her eggs are now normal sized. So, for those of you panicking because your chicks are 24 weeks old and not laying, sometimes a hen just needs 48 weeks to make up her mind.
:cd
They don't all lay every day though...I can get anywhere from 1 to 5 eggs a day and there's no pattern I've been able to discern. Probably my daily average gathering is three. It's enough that we give away to friends constantly.

Chickens are just freaking hilarious. Yes, they all want the same nesting box and they make the weirdest noises when discussing ownership of same. The other day I peeked in when Velcro was on the nest and she honked at me...no other word can describe it. A couple of them use laying as an excuse for spa time...they will sit for a long long time. They love love love the dirt box I made them...they all get in and fling the dirt around and then settle in for a good dirt bath and nap. Sometimes the way they stretch out on their sides and close their eyes they look dead...scary the first time I saw one fully lounged out! Great fun to fling in a handful of crickets...they are serious hunters.

In a year's time we have been so lucky...no disease, no bad eggs, no deaths or wounds, no serious squabbling or bad behavior. They aren't much for cuddling but they follow me around...the whole flock...whenever I'm out while they're free ranging. Except for a few accidents, they go back to the coop and lay their eggs in the nest box (they have three nest boxes but they may as well just have one because they only use one...whichever one the first layer of the day chooses) and, my favorite thing of all, they put themselves to bed. Even if I forget to gather them into the run after free ranging, they all take themselves to the coop in the evening. They arrange themselves on their roosts and quietly mutter to themselves about the day while they wait for me to remember to come and lock their security gate.

I've been very very lucky with my chick chicks....now if only they didn't poop so danged much......

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this