First Brown Egg - Pullets age 17 weeks

[Acre4Me]

First Egg today! Pullets are 17 weeks and 3 days old.

Egg is brown, so it must be one of the following: Black Australorp, Silver Laced Wyandotte, Barred Plymouth Rock, Black Jersey Giant (but she's hardly red in comb), EE (but expecting pink/green and they are not very red in comb). We also have Dark Brown Leghorns, but they are supposed to lay white eggs.

Egg was laid in the far corner of the coop, not in the nest box. But nest box isn't overly private yet. I am working on some "curtains" for the boxes. We put straw and fake ceramic eggs in the boxes 2 days ago, but obviously didn't take the hint! We started providing oyster shell 2 days ago, so that was well timed.

 

[Barbs Girls]

Yay!!!! We are waiting for our first egg too! Congratulations!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Wyandotte or Plymouth Rock. Every Australorp we've had laid rather purplish, off-color eggs. I'd make the Barred Rock my primary suspect, though—most of mine tend to start laying earlier than the other breeds do.

Easter Eggers tend to start laying late, though this varies depending on source hatchery, of course.

 

[Cluck17]

Congrats! Waiting for my brown and blue eggs! RIR and Ameraucanas

 

[Acre4Me]

Wyandotte or Plymouth Rock. Every Australorp we've had laid rather purplish, off-color eggs. I'd make the Barred Rock my primary suspect, though—most of mine tend to start laying earlier than the other breeds do.

Easter Eggers tend to start laying late, though this varies depending on source hatchery, of course.

I think you are right - the BPR and the SLW are the most red in comb and seem to be a little different in behavior lately, as compared to when they were younger. One of the reasons we got the chicks in Late Feb was because we knew some will lay later in age and we have a 19yo relative coming to visit in Sept, so figured that there would be a variety of eggs laid by the time they visit - something the relative has never experienced is chickens and fresh laid eggs, and they are interested in this.

 

[Chad Oftedal]

I have PBR, RIR, and EE and my first egg came from one of my PBR. She was the smallest of the 3 PBR's, and her half dozen eggs so far (over 9 days) have all been around 34 grams, so PeeWee size, but she's a little trooper! I'm thinking of setting a jar of BBQ sauce in the coop so that maybe the rest of the freeloaders will get the hint!

Edit: All of my girls hatched on Valentine's Day - Feb 14th - if that helps give a guide to their age. They'll be 20 weeks old on the Fourth of July.

 

[aart]

We put straw and fake ceramic eggs in the boxes 2 days ago, but obviously didn't take the hint!

It can take awhile for them to find the nests.
Are they easy for the birds to access?
Have they been in them at all?

Now is the perfect time to learn to check pelvic points!
Whenever I see a new pullet egg in the nests, that night when I lock up after dark I do some 'butt-checking' to find who the new layer is.
Easier, and probably more effective, than food coloring
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/