Are little eggs normal first few weeks or forever?

[Mobleymoon]

I agree with @aart. Scratch and corn should not be fed freely. If you don't have a rooster then Layer Feed might be a better option. Pullet eggs usually start off small, but do get larger after a bit. I've noticed that after the winter molt and no egg laying, my hens have started laying again and the first 2 weeks the eggs were a bit smaller than before. Now they are back to extra large eggs.

Thanks for your reply but no one says why? If its fatting, so be it. I don't like the look of skinny, rung out chickens. You have to admit these first eggs are to die for cute. Thanks again!

 

[aart]

Thanks for your reply but no one says why? If its fatting, so be it. I don't like the look of skinny, rung out chickens. You have to admit these first eggs are to die for cute. Thanks again!

Most commercial feed is meant to be the sole ration.
Not sure what you're feeding.

What kind of crumble?
Good to know the protein and calcium percentages, it's on a tag sewn into bottom of bags

Adding so many other foods dilutes the nutrition in the feed.
Too much fat in a bird won't really show on the outside, but can impede the organs on the inside.
It's fun to feed all kinds of goodies to chickens, but all they really need is a balanced chicken ration.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Scratch and grain don’t have enough of the nutrients chickens need for good health. I feed corn during the winter, I feed scratch more to alleviate boredom. They like to scratch through the dirt in the run. It gives them something to do. If they aren’t consuming enough regular food, I cut back on these treats.

 

[Love my chickens 25]

Thank you for your reply. You asked what "breed", I do not know. Heinz-57 I guess.
I know they are chickens. View attachment 2023961
(The bike seat is for reference and a good doorstop) 2 boys, Chancy (white w/ a black shaw) and Zipper @ 12:00, his tweed girls @11 and 5 and the twin buffy butts @ 6 and 9. I have read the other replies. They say don't do this, don't do that and don't tell you why. I am the first to tell you everything I know about Chickens I learned here. I started with just babysitting a flock for a few wks. last winter. {1 Roo, red, orange and brown- 6 hens, 5 blk. and white (barrels ?) 1, beautiful "hawk-shaped", brown-tweedy looking, (like above,11:00). Turned into a few months. One of his hens (metallic black) was exceptionally broody. I felt so bad for her we (husband & I) let this evolve. He took his flock back and left us with mom hen and these sweeties. Our excuss for their Run is under 2" of pack ice and 5" of snow is due in 24-36 hr. So scratch on top of the snow on the ground is out of the question. They come out of the coop touch the snow and run back in like it is hot. So funny! I love these kids. They came late in the year, so a new roof and windows were the priority. Come spring I have been promised a she-she-er girly coop. Right now I have Red Flags to ponder. Thanks for letting me ramble, I think my kids are happy, they talk to me like they're happy. They are calm and seem to be well intergraded. Mom hen is back to her pre-broody state of mind and showing the girls how to be prissy and not so roo-boy like. Enough talk'en I'm headed to the coop. Scrambled eggs and oatmeal! ps. I don't eat eggs or chicken meat. Got a Red flag for that?

Cute names and they are adorable

 

[Mobleymoon]

Most commercial feed is meant to be the sole ration.
Not sure what you're feeding.


Adding so many other foods dilutes the nutrition in the feed.
Too much fat in a bird won't really show on the outside, but can impede the organs on the inside.
It's fun to feed all kinds of goodies to chickens, but all they really need is a balanced chicken ration.

Ok l'll back up abit . So no cracked corn, no scratch until they can go outside, and the crumble, Dumor, grower/ finisher 17%. I just noticed I'm down to less then gallon, should i get something different like layers crumble next? Thanks for your input. Opossums are the same, just because they will eat dosen't mean they should. The fat packs different. We are wildlife rehabers (20yrs). This is our first year with chickens since the massacre of 1999. We lost 12 girls we had for 3 yrs. to the next door dog. But we're back in now. Can thay have the mealworms? Like a cupple of cups a week? Thanks again for putting me back on a more realistic track.

 

[Mobleymoon]

Scratch and grain don’t have enough of the nutrients chickens need for good health. I feed corn during the winter, I feed scratch more to alleviate boredom. They like to scratch through the dirt in the run. It gives them something to do. If they aren’t consuming enough regular food, I cut back on these treats.

I will watch closer and cut back the treets. Maybe 1 cabbage a week is enough. I love to watch them tear it up and the girls will grab a chunk and run off to get away. They seem to like it when i hold a larger leaf and they grab " bill size bites. I just love these miracles.

 

[MysteryChicken]

That's normal. One of my August pullets started laying.

Big egg on right for size comparison.

 

[BYC910]

Look like good pullet eggs to me .And you can bragg about eating a six egg omlet

 

[BarredRockMom]

I agree with @aart about the food. And while you may think that packing on a bit of extra weight here or there from this treat or that treat, fatty liver disease and all of the potential for organ damage that could catch up to 'em & break your heart will tell ya differently....

Commercial hatchery operations breed & hatch (generally speaking) to furnish chickens of many breeds to farms, backyard or otherwise. They don't always breed for genetic longevity and frequently there are genetic issues that arise after a few years. It doesn't happen all of the time and it doesn't happen to everyone and I am not saying that hatcheries (all, some or any specific one) are bad. Many, many folks only keep their flocks for short periods of time, so for them, such issues may not show up or be an actual problem. If you land at my place, ya stay for life so I'm looking for long term health.

I am saying that it has been my experience that such breeding has led to a lot of premature death in my flocks, in my opinion. Feeding a lot of treats seemed to make issues show up fast... like after a year or two. (Respiratory issues, sour crop, bloated belly...bad things that sometimes I could fix & sometimes I couldn't.)

Consequently, we feed minimal treats, stick to the layer pellets as their primary nutrition & have free choice calcium & oyster she'll available all of the time. They get heads of lettuce, occasional raw sunflower seeds, sometimes fresh meat scraps (we hunt & process our game, so they get the same lean quality meat as I would eat) & when they free range (supervised only) they eat grass, clover, crickets, cherry tomatoes & squash from our garden plus their regular food. I must say that I have noticed fewer issues. Is it foolproof or a guarantee that all will go smoothly? Can I say for sure that one breed is healthier than another? Absolutely not, but I do believe that it helps a great deal to go easy on the treats. Since I love them as much as I do, I'll take any ounce of prevention that I can get!!

 

[BarredRockMom]

Oh and as for the egg size, they'll get bigger. You probably know this but just in case you don't:. The egg size increases with age and usually after each moult (when they lose feathers & re- grow 'em.). While your young girls will lay about every day, at about a year old they'll hit their first moult. After each moult, a hen will take a little longer in between laying each egg, maybe a day, maybe a day & a half, it just depends on each hen.

Something delightful to watch for are very, very small eggs, like maybe the size of a quarter. There's nothing wrong with a hen who lays an egg like that, in fact many people consider them lucky. I've gotten a few from my girls over the years & while I don't consider them lucky or anything, I still have each one, kept in a special place. Just because.