Egg size progression question

[FiteClub]

I have two pullets who are at the correct age for starting their laying careers. I have observed my RIR, 21 weeks, in the nesting box on several occasions and she has been laying for a little over a week now. The photo shows the progression of her eggs from 1 to 6. The first two were small and then the rest were normal size. However, on day 7 & 8 the eggs were small again, similar size as day 1 and day 2. The color is slightly richer, but not by much.

My other pullet is a black star, also 21 weeks. I have never observed her in any laying behaviors, squatting or sitting in the nesting box. Her comb and waddles are not a rich red, rather a dull pink. I don't have reason to believe it is her but I thought I'd ask to see if these new eggs are just the RIR going through the ups and downs of her first weeks of laying or if there is the possibility this is the other pullet just starting her laying?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Mrs. K]

I can see your dilemma, I would think that with a black star (an early laying bird) with two birds, that the second small eggs would be coming from the second bird... however, with the lack of a red comb, I would also be surprised if she was laying yet...but she should be.

There is no definite answer, eggs vary quite a bit in color, some birds have the exact same color, and some birds have quite a bit of variance. Same thing is with size, sometimes, especially with new laying hens, size and shape will be rather wild and weird, and eventually settle down to a more standard shape.

Do you only get one egg a day? If so, I would tend to more the idea that one bird is laying.

However, know that right now, I have a game camera set up in my coop, because I can't figure out for sure who is laying and who is not. I am telling my dh (whose camera it is) that I will use this information for culling in the fall... but truthfully I am just curious.

You could physically examine the vents of the birds, and that too would tell the tale. But I don't like to catch mine.

Mrs K

 

[FiteClub]

Thank you for the reply! Great info! I do want to get a camera set up in the coop and have been looking into a good setup for the chickens and the goats.

Since I am getting just one egg a day, that was the other reason I wasn't sure if it was the black star because that would mean the RIR took the last two days off. That would not be unusual either I guess, but just another piece of the puzzle

 

[Mrs. K]

Well so much for the camera! haha

I started going through the pictures - sure enough the one I though was laying came in. She tried out each nest, one at a time and left. (I had found an egg in the last one so I thought, she's the one) But there were a lot more pictures, so I continued through them. Another bird gets in, and she is in the nest that I found the egg, and she is in there for several minutes... so???

More pictures - another of them came in and looked carefully into each nest, but she did not get in a nest.

Soooooo what I think, is that one of them is laying, but the rest should start laying soonish... and I really don't know anymore than I did before! This is a crazy hobby.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

You could physically examine the vents of the birds, and that too would tell the tale. But I don't like to catch mine.

I do vent checks by picking them off the roost at night.

I was checking tonight and found that two of my Blue Australorp pullets, 20 weeks tomorrow, are at 2 fingers between the pelvic bones.

 

[SpicyDisaster]

I can see your dilemma, I would think that with a black star (an early laying bird) with two birds, that the second small eggs would be coming from the second bird... however, with the lack of a red comb, I would also be surprised if she was laying yet...but she should be.

There is no definite answer, eggs vary quite a bit in color, some birds have the exact same color, and some birds have quite a bit of variance. Same thing is with size, sometimes, especially with new laying hens, size and shape will be rather wild and weird, and eventually settle down to a more standard shape.

Do you only get one egg a day? If so, I would tend to more the idea that one bird is laying.

However, know that right now, I have a game camera set up in my coop, because I can't figure out for sure who is laying and who is not. I am telling my dh (whose camera it is) that I will use this information for culling in the fall... but truthfully I am just curious.

We got Wyze cameras setup in the coop and it's been fun watching the girls yell at each other for using THE box out of 8 boxes. Definitely helped with figuring out who is laying each day.

I do vent checks by picking them off the roost at night.

I was checking tonight and found that two of my Blue Australorp pullets, 20 weeks tomorrow, are at 2 fingers between the pelvic bones.

Vent checking helped us when they first started laying before the camera got installed to know who was and wasn't laying.

For egg sizing, it seems like newbie layers take a bit to figure it out sometimes so it's quite possible she's just sorting herself out.