EUREKA!!!!!!!!

[jtn42248]

You know that this is going in the next posting of my blog but I had to share it with everyone as soon as I discovered it. The hens are exactly 18 weeks old today and we finally have our first egg!!!!!!!! It is, as you can see next to the quarter, sort of small (sorry for the blurred picture). But it is the thought and effort that counts and they do get bigger as the hens get used to the process. From the looks of it I would guess it was one of the Wyandotte hens that did the deed. A valiant effort by a brave little hen. As a treat/reward all 25 (including Little Dude, the hen that decided to be a rooster) are now having fresh blueberries in plain Greek yogurt, left over fried chicken (I know...the little cannibals love chicken) and ice cold Romaine lettuce. I know it won't make an omelet, in fact it might just be one bite, I am tempted to not eat it but to encase it in a Lucite cube for posterity.

Yes, I am one proud papa! There is a full moon, it is Friday the Thirteenth and we have our first egg.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Congratulations on your first egg! May she lay many more for you! Hey, a Lucite Cube sounds good, nice paperweight! How about blow it out and make an xmas ornament out of it, think about egg art. http://www.eggartguild.org/supplies.htm
http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=131 or diy bronzing powder. The possibilities!

 

[krista74]

Congratulations! It's so exciting, after weeks of eagerly looking into empty nesting boxes, to actually see something in there! I got my first egg about 3 weeks ago, and held onto it just long enough to show hubby before frying it up and scoffing it! (No, I didn't share it, ha ha!) Since then, two more hens have started laying (most recently, my BO who laid her first egg yesterday) and it is so exciting to see one egg, then two, then three, and so on. Do you have many chickens? We have 6 pullets in total (2 BO's and 4 RIR's) and I long for the day when I have to Google 'How to use up excess eggs.' May there be many more to come for you! Krista.

 

[jtn42248]

Second hen tried to lay and egg late yesterday afternoon. She got stuck half way through the process and I was afraid of prolapse but this a.m. she managed to get the egg loose. She laid two eggs at once, both with no shell (I think they call it soft shell eggs), one egg shaped and one round. She seems to be o.k. now but I will watch her closely. They get oyster shell free choice so they should have plenty of calcium. If any one else does the same I may add crushed egg shell to their food for a while. Of course it could be just because it was her first and she is only 18 weeks old. Maybe she was trying to copy the other hen.

 

[krista74]

You could be right. I am VERY new to the world of chickens, but from the reading I've done sometimes it takes a little while for first time layers to get the yolk/white/shell thing right. Apparently it's not as easy as it looks! As long as her diet is good I'm sure she will get into the swing of it soon. If not, like you said, adding some grit/shells may help. Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction for you!

 

[jtn42248]

I think that first egg was just a teaser. There has been nothing else since (except the two egg issue) and I have 24 hens the same age. Of course they are only 18 weeks old and they don't officially mature until 20 weeks. I had a talk with them earlier and explained that they had to hold up their share of the bargain. I also promised to try to find a home for Little Dude, the rooster that drives them mad.

 

[krista74]

Poor Little Dude, he's probably only doing what comes naturally! Yes, from my limited understanding, 18 weeks is still fairly early. I don't know the exact ages of mine but we are thinking they are around the 20 to 23 week mark, and so far only 3/6 are laying. Hubby (who has owned chickens before) just tells me to be patient, and that they will lay when they're ready. This doesn't stop me talking about 6-egg omelettes every time I go into the coop! I believe it's common also for chickens to take a while to get into the habit of laying with regularity. My BO's are good - one every day for 6 days, then skip a day. The RIR lays about 6 a week too by the looks of it, but she's all over the place with timing - 7am one day, mid-day the next! It takes a while to get it sorted I think. Have a good look round for hidden eggs too - they don't always lay in the nest boxes. Mine are quite crafty, and will round up all the plastic eggs from the 5 nesting boxes into one box, then lay their eggs in there as well! Tricky, tricky!

 

[jtn42248]

Sounds like you have some dedicated girls. I am sure mine will come around in their own time. As for Little Dude. He may end up staying simply because no one seems to be interested in a free rooster. I certainly won't get rid of him in any violent sort of way. I have learned that bird sex is not pretty. It is more like poultry rape than I care to have around. The girls know that he is not necessary for anything other than to pick on them since I am not breeding chicks (ducks and geese yes, chicks no) and I feel guilty for that. Even though he was mis-sexed by the hatchery. He is a beautiful bird as you can see.

 

[krista74]

He is very handsome! I don't have any pics but my Buff Orpington cockerel is a handsome devil too. I am lucky in that he has a lovely nature, and looks after his girls quite well. The 'act' in itself does look a bit rough - a few feathers certainly fly! But my girls don't seem displeased to have him around