awaiting the first egg, heard egg song?? maybe, but no eggs yet.

[ndjili]

My Buff Orpington is 20 weeks and her comb and wattles have gotten bigger but are still pink. Her and my Welsummer have been really scratching around in the bark in my flower beds but as my BO still hasn't reddened up and my Welsummer is only 16 weeks (I also have a Buff Brahma and a Salmon Faverolles that are 15 weeks) I haven't been too worried that eggs are imminent. Today I heard my what sounded like the egg song coming from my BO. The have a coop with a small run attached but they mostly run freely around the yard. It was rainy this morning so i hadn't let them out of the run yet so maybe she was just mad. Anyway, should i go ahead and set up the nest? Also how do i supplement oyster shell since the other pullets are so much younger (the BO was a replacement for one that turned out to be a roo and so she was a little older). My yard is pretty plain so there really aren't places she could hide an egg that I wouldn't find. So many questions. It's fun being a new chicken mama tho.

 

[boskelli1571]

Oh my!! They sound like they are definitely getting ready to lay! I would certainly set up at least 2 nest boxes for them in readiness. To give them a general idea put a fake egg in the nest. Personally, I would not worry about oyster shell supplement until they are all old enough - around 20 weeks or so.
You would be surprised at where they might lay an egg - small spaces which might not look appealing to us, looks like a Kardashian bedroom to them! Check all nooks and crannies...