Egg Time ? Fake Egg Trick ?

[nxb161]

I bought 6 chicks from TSC on March 6th. Redsexlinks, Amberlinks, and Leghorns. The Amberlinks were the smallest, maybe only a couple days old while the other could have been a week old maybe. I can't wait to get my first egg(s)
They have a coop with a run attached to it, they only have supervised roaming due to local animals. I noticed a couple of them laying in an indent in the ground instead of their usual roosting. Any chance this is a good sign of eggs soon to come?
I've had their nesting box semi-blocked off by cardboard. I removed that and filled it with dry grass (since I don't have any straw yet) I was wondering if anyone uses the put a fake egg in the nesting box trick. I don't have any older hens to show them the way. I realize they'll eventually figure it out, it is their instinct. Just curious if it would speed up the egg laying process. Also should I start giving them crushed oyster shell?

A side note, it is fun to walk around the yard with a chicken under my arm )

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Your birds are all 16-17 weeks old, which means you should see your first egg sometime in the next three weeks with those breeds.

You can put out supplementary calcium whenever you'd like, they shouldn't take more than they need. What are you feeding them now, chick starter or flockraiser or layer pellets or something else?

A fake egg in the nest can help them know where to lay their eggs. I find that pullets want to lay on the ground even with older hens to show them where to lay, though.

You might also find an "oops" egg in a weird place like right in the middle of the run, like it surprised her that the egg popped out.

 

[nxb161]

Thanks for the info. 21% laying pellets so far, with occasional scratch and veggie scraps.
So I got some and checked the box, two of them here in there, no eggs. I said heck with it and went into the house to get an easter egg.
I went back out to put the egg in there and found this egg.



I am fairly sure that it was the redsexlink. Yay!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

If you have them on layer feed, there's nothing else you need to do. Sit back and wait for your eggs!

Be aware that hens lay erratically at first, so don't be shocked if you don't get another one for a while. But all the breeds you have begin laying early, so you should start getting eggs from all of them soon.

 

[Nutcase]

I bought 6 chicks from TSC on March 6th. Redsexlinks, Amberlinks, and Leghorns. The Amberlinks were the smallest, maybe only a couple days old while the other could have been a week old maybe. I can't wait to get my first egg(s) They have a coop with a run attached to it, they only have supervised roaming due to local animals. I noticed a couple of them laying in an indent in the ground instead of their usual roosting. Any chance this is a good sign of eggs soon to come? I've had their nesting box semi-blocked off by cardboard. I removed that and filled it with dry grass (since I don't have any straw yet) I was wondering if anyone uses the put a fake egg in the nesting box trick. I don't have any older hens to show them the way. I realize they'll eventually figure it out, it is their instinct. Just curious if it would speed up the egg laying process. Also should I start giving them crushed oyster shell? A side note, it is fun to walk around the yard with a chicken under my arm )

Yes don't worry, their instincts will kick in. WalkingOnSunshine is right, there will be irregular laying and a few odd eggs as they start to get into their new routine. Golf balls are great for fake eggs, they work every time!

 

[nxb161]

Egg number two is irregular. Not terrible, I think it is from one of the amberlinks. It had been laying with the redsexlink yesterday.
It looks like it is supposed to be a brown egg, but very faded. So happy to have 2 days in a row.

 

[nxb161]

Another 2 eggs today, one looks like the others, and the other is darker