Can you eat the first eggs that a hen lays?

[crazy4eggsJulie]

Just curious. Our hens are just 3 months but I was wondering if it is okay to eat the eggs as soon as they start coming or if we are supposed to wait awhile. Do I get them right away and put them in the fridge or can I collect at the end of the day? We have 22 hens and 6 nesting boxes. Will a hen lay in a box that has someone else's egg in it? Sorry for all the questions...we're brand new to this!

 

[MariposaMama]

Yep, you can eat the very first egg. It was an honor to be the one in the family who got to eat it. In the hot weather, it's best to collect them more than once a day, and some hens will take to eating them if they're left too long. Our hens seem to want to use the same nest. It's not unusual for me to find 5 or 6 in one nest and only a couple in one of the others.

Welcome to the world of chickens, you'll be as addicted to them as the rest of us in no time.

 

[SpringChickens]

Yes, yes, yes and yes

You can eat any egg you find... the first ones always taste the best

You can collect just once a day... don't need to go out looking every 15 minutes, though it can be tempting when they first start to lay!

Yes, hens tend to lay in the same nest boxes that others have already laid in. That's why it's often suggested to put golf balls in the nest boxes to encourage them to lay there instead of under the bushes and the back deck like my chickens do.

(Every single one of my chickens lays her eggs in a different spot, only one lays in the nest box... silly chickens!!!)

 

[Black Betty]

Thanks SpringChickens, I think I'll look in the yard and under the deck for eggs. My two girls are the same age and only one is leaving me eggs in the box. I thought the other one hasn't started laying but maybe I just haven't been looking in the right place !

 

[alleydebbie]

I am addicted to my chickens for sure!!! They will eat out of my hands!! I have 7 hens and have found 5 eggs so far but they are not laying in the nesting boxes. We put some of the starter eggs in there to motivate them to lay in there and today I found one egg in the box and one under the roosting post. Yesterday I found one UNDER the nesting boxes. How do you get them to lay in the nesting boxes?

 

[sjturner79]

I am addicted to my chickens for sure!!! They will eat out of my hands!! I have 7 hens and have found 5 eggs so far but they are not laying in the nesting boxes. We put some of the starter eggs in there to motivate them to lay in there and today I found one egg in the box and one under the roosting post. Yesterday I found one UNDER the nesting boxes. How do you get them to lay in the nesting boxes?

If they can get under the nesting boxes you may need to lower them. Although some hens will lay in nest boxes above the ground most won't lay in a box they can't see into standing on the ground. A ramp can be added if you can't lower them. Once that is taken care of as long as the nest boxes are the right size(most commercial chook nest are too small) they will start to use them

 

[Spartan22]

I am addicted to my chickens for sure!!! They will eat out of my hands!! I have 7 hens and have found 5 eggs so far but they are not laying in the nesting boxes. We put some of the starter eggs in there to motivate them to lay in there and today I found one egg in the box and one under the roosting post. Yesterday I found one UNDER the nesting boxes. How do you get them to lay in the nesting boxes?

When my first batch of hens started laying eggs 2 were always laying on the floor even tho there are ceramic eggs in the nest, I decided to hand carry them on the nest, dark material over them after few days they got the hang of it. Whereas majority just laid in the nest religiously.

 

[Mandymade]

I just found my very first egg but after reading all of this thread I am afraid that they have been laying elsewhere and I just didn't catch it???.I've looked all through the house and the run and don't see any others but is it possible that I am lucky enough to have found the first egg of 6 hens in one of the 6 nesting boxes we have???? If they have laid elsewhere then they must have eaten them or something because I haven't ever found any shells or anything. Also,is there anyway to determine which hen is actually laying?

Yep, you can eat the very first egg.  It was an honor to be the one in the family who got to eat it.  In the hot weather, it's best to collect them more than once a day, and some hens will take to eating them if they're left too long.  Our hens seem to want to use the same nest.  It's not unusual for me to find 5 or 6 in one nest and only a couple in one of the others.


Welcome to the world of chickens, you'll be as addicted to them as the rest of us in no time.  /img/smilies/lol.png

 

[chichappy]

I have four spring chicks that are beginning to lay also and have had similar experiences to others on the forum. My first chicken started laying when I was out of town for two weeks. My son was looking after them the first week and my husband for the second. They live in a chicken tractor but we have a fully fenced back yard and they roam free from daylight to dusk. When I got home, one of them had taken to laying her eggs under a tall bush beside a building in the yard. I had to pick her up and put her in the coop for two weeks before she finally up on this favorite laying spot! There are two laying boxes in the coop but the chickens (there are two of them laying now...maybe three) but they lay their eggs UNDER the box! I think they do this because it makes it harder for me to find them! I love my chickens and they are hilarious. The wait for me at the back french door, looking in through the class. They follow me all around the yard hoping for treats/scraps. I never knew chickens could be so much fun...having them was just on my bucket list!

 

[WildCHILD400]

Mine laid their first egg in their box I have three nesting boxes they each have their own and one box to sleep in.