can they really lay this much so fast???

[AndreaS]

Hi everyone!

I have 5 pullets, they are all about 19 weeks old. On Wednesday one of my salmon faverolles (Bernice) started making quite the racket and going in and out of the nest boxes complaining. I figured she was about to start laying. 2 hours later, I went out....She had calmed down and I found my first egg in one of the nest boxes! It was really much larger than I expected, and was sort of a speckled off-white. It had a tiny bit of blood on it. I was super excited. Then on Friday we found another egg in the same box. This one was much smaller, and a light tan color. I thought another one of the hens had started to lay. Then we found another on Saturday, and then on Sunday Bernice was in and out of the nest boxes being loud again, and sure enough......she laid another egg! I had thought that the other 2 eggs must have been from one of the other girls because they looked so different from the first one, but this one looked just like them, so I think
she must be the only one laying, and the first egg was
just a little off!

So, is it normal for hens to jump right into regular laying? I thought that she would lay irregularly at first but this has been 4 eggs in 5 days! What a good girl!

The other odd thing about this is that she was my weak chick. She had to be seperated and hand fed as a baby, and for the longest time she was only about a third of the size of the others. She took twice as long to feather out and I assumed she was going to take longer to lay, but from what I can tell.....she is the only one laying!

I know the other girls will start soon because I'm getting some really red combs and their hips are starting to widen.

So, do they usually start full on laying once they get their first egg? I'm so proud of her!

 

[slackwater]

I only have one pullet laying right now - a black jersey giant who started at 22 weeks. She has laid *fairly* consistenly since then. but, since she is one of 12 laying-age hens, I'm just going by egg size to tell whether or not she's laying.

You have a productive little lady!

 

[mk4lh]

It sounds like more that just one is laying. My latest flock has just started laying also and I find when they are first starting the eggs are laid about every other day. Then after a bit some of them will lay every day and others won't. Good Luck to you

 

[AndreaS]

The thing that makes me wonder if they might all be her eggs is that none of the other girls are being loud and I haven't seen anyone else even go in a nest box. I have one other salmon faverolles, and the other's are Easter eggers and a welsummer. So their eggs should look different right? The other salmon faverolles could be laying I guess, but she hasn't been hanging our around the coop and being noisy like Bernice

 

[cindy99]

My hen is 15 weeks old and she has laid (her first) 6 eggs in 6 days!

We keep telling her how proud we are of her. The first 2 were pretty small but now they are a normal small size. Isn't the tiny egg cute?!

 

[imthedude]

one of our barred rocks laid her first egg saturday a week ago. she has not missed a day since. we had another one of the girls start on saturday, and she too laid again yesterday.

 

[turkeymom]

Yes, my EE Thelma started laying at 19 weeks and, now - over a month later - she has laid an egg every day except for 1 day she took off. I'm really proud of her. My BO Buffy started laying about a week later, but she will only lay 3 or 4 days in a row before she takes a day off.

 

[AndreaS]

Quote:
Oh! That egg is just adorable! Bernie's first egg was huge! I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm positive that at least the first and last ones were hers. The most recent one was smaller and much more even in coloring. I will try and post a pic when I get home.

Such a good girl!

 

[jettgirl24]

You and I are in the same boat... I'm shocked at my little BO... Yesterday was day 8 in a row, not a day's break since she started laying last Sunday! I only have 3 girls and I know for a fact they are hers because my BR just started laying a couple of days ago and her eggs are a couple shades darker than the BOs. The BO lays perfect, even colered, light brown eggs every single day. My other BR doesn't even seem close to laying and frankly looks like she can't figure out why the other two are even in the nest box.... She's a little slow

Congratulations on your wonderful layer!

 

[palochknldy]

Our RIR started laying last Monday and the egg was big. Skipped one day, but has layed every day since. Like yours, the first egg was big and every egg since has been smaller(but all the same size now). Still confused why the first egg was so much bigger. Has that happened to anyone else? Thought they started small then got bigger as time went on.