California - Northern

[Happy Chooks]

Mossy oak - congrats! The first egg is very special

 

[MossyoakLane]

YAY!!! I still get that flush of pleasure with every egg I find, but nothing compares to that first egg.

I'd blow it out and keep it.

I am thinking I might blow it out. I am just not sure what I would do with it once I did.

Congratulations! A beauty! And in this heat. What a perfect day for you.

Our pullets are 3 months old. I only hope we are home and not away on vacation when we get our first egg from each. 3 breeds, 3 different egg colors, easy for us to tell who lays what.

I knew it would be any day. She started squatting last week, and the last few days she has been moving things around in the nest boxes, getting them ready. I honestly didn't expect her to lay in this heat though. I guess we are keeping them comfortable enough with the misters and the fan.

I told her yesterday if she laid me an egg she would get a nice treat.....so I as soon as I found the egg I sliced them all a huge chunk of watermelon.

It's a perfect little egg. I would think it was a decent size for a pullet. I guess I should weigh it.

Thanks everyone! Now hopefully this encourages the rest of the freeloaders to lay! LOL

 

[debs_flock]

Quote:
Yes, they mature about the same as a chicken and like you said, they are nuts. You have to keep them because they have such beautiful faces (truly they do) and love the sound of their call (charming - unlike the coturnix screech

).

I keep mine in breeding groups though the same as my cots. One male to three girls. They've worked out fine that way.

And you do have to be careful catching them and moving them. If they escape, they are hard to catch. If they escape outside, just wave at them as they leave. When you catch them, they also bite (out of fear, not meanness) and they have a very sharp hooky beak, almost parrot like.

 

[PetRock]

I am having issues with disappearing eggs from under my broodies. I have two hens that are broody and have been for quite a while. Fiona my Coronation Sussex is one of my largest hens and Amelia my Silver Ameraucana is my tiniest hen. Both are near the bottom of the pecking order and the other girls drive them from their nests then lay their eggs in the box with the fertile ones. A month or so ago, I gave Amelia three fertile eggs from the incubator that were due to hatch in 5 days. I candled them on lock down day and one was an early quitter. One hatched during that earlier hot spell we had and was not doing well so I took it away from her. The third one just disappeared on hatch day. I just assumed that one of the other girls drove her from her nest to lay their egg and ended up eating the newly hatching chick. There were a few egg shells left but they might have been from the first chick that hatched. Fiona then went broody so I gave her 3 fertile eggs from the farm. A week later, I took pity on Amelia who was trying to hatch any egg she found and gave her 2 fertile eggs from the farm. Fiona's eggs were due to hatch this weekend. 2 days ago, one just disappeared. I saw a partial egg shell in the middle of the coop so maybe my baby eating hen struck again. Or did something else get in the coop and eat it? So, she was down to 2 yesterday morning. When I checked her yesterday afternoon, there was only 1 and this morning, there were none. Amelia was still sitting on her 2 eggs. I went out 2 hours later to check on her and found one of my Barred Rocks in her box and only 1 egg left. I was so mad at Memly thinking that she is the egg/baby thief! When I complained to my DH, he said that he had taken 2 eggs from that box this morning! I ran to check and he had collected the 2 developing eggs!!!

So, Memly had laid her egg in the box and not eaten a fertile egg. I took the eggs back out to Amelia and I hope that they hatch. At least it is hot in our house since our air conditioner is broken. It is going to be a long 10 days! We need a camcorder out there to see what is going on!

 

[PetRock]

Yes, they mature about the same as a chicken and like you said, they are nuts. You have to keep them because they have such beautiful faces (truly they do) and love the sound of their call (charming - unlike the coturnix screech

).

I keep mine in breeding groups though the same as my cots. One male to three girls. They've worked out fine that way.

And you do have to be careful catching them and moving them. If they escape, they are hard to catch. If they escape outside, just wave at them as they leave. When you catch them, they also bite (out of fear, not meanness) and they have a very sharp hooky beak, almost parrot like.

Yikes! I'm not sure you are encouraging me! I did lose one out in the yard a while ago but in the process, I think that I broke its leg so it was easy to catch. It limped for a couple weeks but is fully recovered now. That's encouraging about the breeding groups. Even if the male only mates with one of the females, at least I would have 3 laying eggs!

 

[ronott1]

I am having issues with disappearing eggs from under my broodies. I have two hens that are broody and have been for quite a while. Fiona my Coronation Sussex is one of my largest hens and Amelia my Silver Ameraucana is my tiniest hen. Both are near the bottom of the pecking order and the other girls drive them from their nests then lay their eggs in the box with the fertile ones. A month or so ago, I gave Amelia three fertile eggs from the incubator that were due to hatch in 5 days. I candled them on lock down day and one was an early quitter. One hatched during that earlier hot spell we had and was not doing well so I took it away from her. The third one just disappeared on hatch day. I just assumed that one of the other girls drove her from her nest to lay their egg and ended up eating the newly hatching chick. There were a few egg shells left but they might have been from the first chick that hatched. Fiona then went broody so I gave her 3 fertile eggs from the farm. A week later, I took pity on Amelia who was trying to hatch any egg she found and gave her 2 fertile eggs from the farm. Fiona's eggs were due to hatch this weekend. 2 days ago, one just disappeared. I saw a partial egg shell in the middle of the coop so maybe my baby eating hen struck again. Or did something else get in the coop and eat it? So, she was down to 2 yesterday morning. When I checked her yesterday afternoon, there was only 1 and this morning, there were none. Amelia was still sitting on her 2 eggs. I went out 2 hours later to check on her and found one of my Barred Rocks in her box and only 1 egg left. I was so mad at Memly thinking that she is the egg/baby thief! When I complained to my DH, he said that he had taken 2 eggs from that box this morning! I ran to check and he had collected the 2 developing eggs!!!

So, Memly had laid her egg in the box and not eaten a fertile egg. I took the eggs back out to Amelia and I hope that they hatch. At least it is hot in our house since our air conditioner is broken. It is going to be a long 10 days! We need a camcorder out there to see what is going on!

Well at least you have a helper!

Good job on saving the eggs. Me, I would get a purple Sharpie and write: Live embryos! Do not eat!

 

[OR4-hmom]

I had problems with extra eggs and swapping when 2 went at the same time in the big nest box. I but 1 sharpie line around Reds eggs and 2 sharpie lines around Pretties eggs. The ones with a wavy line I didn't know where they went. I moved them under Red since she was happier sitting while Pretty took over the chicks. They are both DONE with the chicks now so it's a lot crazy in the pen. The chicks are learning to run to the hides I put in for them but they are very vocal about everything.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I started a basket in my window sill with blown out first eggs and fart eggs. I also have shed spurs from the boys when I find them.

Congrats on the first egg Mossy Oak Lane!

 

[lizanne]

One more day..... Hopefully it will feel way cooler tomorrow.

 

[PetRock]

Well at least you have a helper!

Good job on saving the eggs. Me, I would get a purple Sharpie and write: Live embryos! Do not eat!

Hopefully, the human helper would read & heed the warning but I'm not sure that the chicken?/raccoon?/possum?/rat? egg & embryo snatcher would. Poor Fiona! I'm going to have to break her or find some day olds to slip under her. Of course it had to happen while I am taking a break from hatching! I think that I will finish cleaning out one of my outdoor brooder areas and put Amelia in there with her 2 eggs. My head hen is great at defending her nest when broody but these two are not!