Can you eat the first egg?

[michael1003]

No dont eat the first egg we did and now we all have 3 arms. ;-)

 

[AmericanMom]

We decided to scramble the egg and feed it back to the hens.

The next day we modified the nests to provide individual spaces so no eggs that day.

Yesterday they all checked out the spaces and went round and round until most of the straw was kicked out leaving a hard surface, later I replaced the straw.

Later on I decreetly watched one of my girls doing this, she then began nesting, after a little bit up jumped another hen and the first promptly stood up and I heard a "Plop", after she left the nest I checked and she left us an egg but it was cracked due to dropping on the hard surface.

Today we just got a DOUBLE YOLKER (amazing for being only the 3rd day of laying) but it too was cracked due to all the straw being moved to revel the hard surface.

I think they are pretty happy with the new layout and I realise that they are still learning but any suggestions about the straw removal would be helpful.

Thanks

I had this problem, I put down a layer of pine shavings under the straw, the girls seemed to like it enough they never kicked it out, I still do it, replace it once a week of course but it sure cushions those eggs

 

[AmericanMom]

So it IS okay to eat the first egg?

I've read about small, not-so-well-formed first eggs, but Tillie's first egg was perfect. Tillie and Hillary are Dark Brahmas. Tillie is about nine months old and gave me her first egg on January 5th. Hillary is seven months old so I don't expect to be getting anything from her for another couple months. By the way, they get no heating and no artificial light. So I was really surprised to see a first egg in the dead of winter.

And thoroughly tickled, too.

Yes, unless of course it is one of those poop eggs they lay under the roost, I never eat those, soft shelled and such, but those tiny fairy eggs as my little cousin calls them are perfect little eggs and are so very good!

 

[Aegault]

First egg today from my exactly 25wk old girls! Not sure which one it was, but it was an ameraucana as it's green (and about 1/2 the size of a large egg)! We are all so excited.

Friend and my husband were saying you weren't supposed to eat the first eggs due to the girls being on chick feed (which is medicated) but by golly, we're going to eat it. We are also planning on blowing it out to save the shell!

 

[mortie]

Why are they still on medicated chick feed?

 

[cmom]

First egg today from my exactly 25wk old girls! Not sure which one it was, but it was an ameraucana as it's green (and about 1/2 the size of a large egg)! We are all so excited.

Friend and my husband were saying you weren't supposed to eat the first eggs due to the girls being on chick feed (which is medicated) but by golly, we're going to eat it. We are also planning on blowing it out to save the shell!

I would switch them over to a layer feed. I do feed my girls Game Bird Breeder feed. It's 20% protein and since they have all been going through their molt it helps with the feathering. I feed my chicks at 26% medicated feed for their first couple of months then I switch them over to a 20% Grower feed and when they start to lay the 20% Game Bird feed. In the hot summer months I give them a lower protein Layer feed. Eating the eggs from medicated feed won't hurt anyone unless they are allergic to Sulfa which is the base they use in the medicated feed to help the chicks develop a resistance to cocci.

Why are they still on medicated chick feed?

 

[cmom]

My youngsters from this past spring/early summer hatches have recently started laying.