April 2010 Pullets- wanna wait with me?

[Mrs. Mucket]

Our mixed flock of 12 standard and banty pullets are 20 weeks old. The first egg arrived at 18 weeks and they've been increasing to 4 eggs a day so far. It took a while to collect enough banty eggs for a meal! One tiny egg was a double yolker. I'm sure both White Leghorns are each laying one a day now (the only white eggers we have). They started small but one today was larger than a AA large egg from the store. Twice we've had two larger brown eggs with no shell...some of the others trying to get it right. I think two different banties are laying--Dark Brahma and Barred Cochin. Twice I've seen little Pigwidgeon Dark Brahma with her head under the edge of the coop and her hiney sticking out. It reminds me of a toddler thinking no one can see them if they hide or close their eyes.

We've been finding two eggs late morning and two in afternoon. Some are in nest, some on coop floor and two have been in the attached run (Oops! Couldn't quite make it to the little girls' room!). The ladies keep scratching all the straw and shavings out of the nests, even over the 4" lip at the edge, and the eggs are always on the vinyl-tiled board if not on the ground.

My youngest human child recently "flew the coop" and these chickens and their eggs are definitely helping me with empty nest syndrome! LOL

A surprising outlet for my nurturing and TLC and I can't believe how excited I am about their eggs!

 

[lb2duncan]

Congratulations Yay Chicks! I'm still waiting on mine...trying to be patient.

 

[elizabethlongwood]

Congratulations to all the owners of LAYING April Pullets... can't wait til we join your club. I'm afraid I'm going to be the last one waiting on this thread.

 

[JustOneMore]

I would like to second that congratulations to all those who have April girls that have gotten to work. Ours are still a flock of slackers!

I did have a thrill this morning when a few didn't leave the coop when I opened it this morning. One of our older (known laying) wyandotte hens was in her nest box and two of the pullets were practice nesting in the coop while that ol' upright comb hen was at work.

Once everyone had cleared the coop for the morning I went to retrieve UC's egg. I had to grin with what I saw. The bottom of the coop looks like the surface of the moon. Lots of big craters in the shavings from the young ladies that aren't quite ready but are now thinking about becoming laying hens.

Hoping that my next post will have a huge yippee and a brag about some blue eggs from our first EEs. Until then I sigh, sit back, and wait.

 

[woodmort]

Back in January I ordered 26 Black Stars for end of May delivery thinking my flock of 15 5/6 -year old hens would keep us in eggs until October when the BS started laying. However, during March 12 of those 15 hens were killed by a weasel. Once I captured the villain--on April 1st--I cleared one side of the coop and went to Central Tractor on April 17th and bought 10 pullets. My wife questioned my sanity of having 45 chickens (I added 6 EE's to the original order when I lost mine) but I argued that these would be laying at the end of August. Nothing yet and my DW is starting to get on my case.

To make matters worse, the 3 hens that were left--2 EE's and a BS--have stopped laying as well. I'm feeding 45 birds and not getting any return.

 

[tcates]

April 29 hatch date here...... waiting, but thinking about the chaos in the hen house, might have an egg soon..... 3 of my girls are still pink around the face, but 1 has turned red, funny since she is now the "abused hen" in the group, until tonight, she is in trouble, and everyone is clucking/talking/crowing for help LOL I hope my neighbors don't mind!

 

[dela1991]

Quote:
I'm still right there with you. Mine hatched 4/16 and I am expecting something soon. I have two Delawares, three RIRs, and three Buff Orpingtons. One of each type has a much more "mature" look. Larger, brighter red combs and wattles. I thought that was a little weird that it would work out that way. My rooster is very interested in the RIR with the nice red comb. He will not leave her alone. The poor hen hides in the coop when he is outside in the run. He gets that wild look in his eyes and goes off looking for her. The other day he was standing on a cement block and tried to mount her as she passed by. She as able to knock him off and he went face first into the dirt. He was undeterred.

I figure the eggs will eventually come. And it will be sweet....

 

[lb2duncan]

My Cuckoo Marans Gerda just laid her first egg this evening!!! My wait is over. But the shell was very thin. I've had them on layer pellets for about a week now. They also have oyster shell but that's only been for about a week also. They are 18 1/2 weeks old. My other Marans doesn't have a very red comb yet so it'll be a little longer for her although she is squating down. I'm so thrilled. She laid her egg around 7:25 this evening. I know this because I was in the coop when she went into the nest box. I watched her for a few minutes but figured it might take awhile so went back to gardening. I checked a few minutes later and she was still in the box...but came out and zoomed out the pop door so....I checked in the box and voila, in the very back a very pretty albeit light brown egg.

 

[SunnysideupstateNY]

Grrr! My girls were born April 12th! Still nothing!

 

[lb2duncan]

SunnysideupstateNY hang in there. We had it terrible hot here yesterday and today it cooled off nicely in the 70's. Not sure if that had anything to do with it but I'm guessing the cooler temps may have helped a little. Before she laid her egg she was having a nice little dust bath! They are so funny to watch. What on earth did I ever do before I got chickens??!!

Your girls will start laying before you know it!