can they really lay this much so fast???

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!

 

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

 

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!