First egg @ 18 weeks

[Liselle]

I posted this on an older thread of mine, but this seems like a better place to put it!

Chicky just laid her first egg!! She's only approximately 18 weeks! I wasn't expecting eggs this early. I have since learned she's probably a White Rock hen, if that makes a difference in laying age. I wasn't expecting eggs until about 26 weeks, so obviously this was a super surprise!

This pic was taken today:


I am totally flabbergasted. I feel like my baby had a baby! LOL.

She's being VERY quiet right now after laying her egg, is that normal?

Here is the egg with a standard yogurt cup for size comparison. Does it seem small to you? Can I eat it? Is that weird?

 

[Renee572]

First off congrats on your first egg. I'd say 18 weeks is a little on the early side but still perfectly normally for them to start laying. Her being quiet after is probably perfectly normal too, she is probably just as shocked as you are at what just happened!! My Australorp makes no noise whatsoever before, during or after. She's actually been laying for 5 weeks now (started at 18 weeks also) and this morning was the very first time I have heard her sing the egg song. The egg being small is normal and it's totally fine to eat. It will be so delicious! My Australorps eggs started out at 25g and have slowly been getting bigger, her biggest so far has been 40g but she averages 37g. I now have a 2nd layer (not quite sure who it is yet but I will find that out), she just started laying at 22 1/2 weeks and her eggs started out at 37g. I am wondering if their age at POL had anything to do with the egg size. Like had my 2nd girl started at 18 weeks would her eggs have been smaller at like 25g as well? Who knows!? But anyway, it is so exciting getting eggs, especially when you were not expecting it at all.

 

[Liselle]

Thank you Renee!!

There's an "egg song"?

Cool. I suppose I'll have bacon and an egg tomorrow for breakfast.

It still feels weird to eat my pets egg though, even though that's what I wanted a chicken for.

 

[Renee572]

Yup, there is an egg song! If you ever saw the Cadbury Egg commericals where the bunny goes bawk, bawk, begaw then you have heard the egg song. Like I said my Australorp just sang it for the first time today (that I know of anyway) and she's been laying for 5 weeks. I have an Easter Egger though that is not yet laying and she sang the egg song like 3 weeks ago and has since sang it a couple more times. So maybe she's getting some good practice for when she is ready to lay or she likes to cheer my Australorp on. The egg song can be sung before, during or after laying an egg. Other hens sometimes sing along with the layer or sing for the layer. This morning when my Australorp sang it I think it was about 30 mins after she had laid her egg and I had already removed the egg from the coop so I have no idea what that was all about. Maybe she just wanted to make sure that I knew she gave me that egg!

Don't feel weird about eating your hens eggs, that is definitely what we have them for obviously. Or at least that's the reason we get them and then if you are like me you get so attached to them. Just think of it as their gift to you for taking such good care of them. I like to think that my girls are telling me thank you and as weird as some people may think it is I actually thank my girl(s) each time I get an egg. Now if only I can figure out exactly who my 2nd layer is that would be easier to thank her... I have my guesses on who it is but I can't be sure. I only have 1 Australorp but both the eggs I am getting look sooo much alike. I thought maybe they'd be somewhat different so I could tell which one belonged to who but I guess not.

 

[Liselle]

I will never eat grocery store eggs again.

I have had farm fresh eggs before. My grandmother used to get them in flats years ago, would actually go somewhere in south GA to get them, and bring them back to us. Laid the day before. DELICIOUS. I also have a local farmer who has fresh eggs. Believe me when I tell you nothing compares to a FRESH egg.

Chicky's egg may have been small, but it was DELICIOUS. I honestly hope she continues to lay small eggs, they're perfectly sized for me!

Thank you again for the advice, Renee!! I hope you're able to figure out who your second layer is!

 

[Renee572]

Hmmm, I got an egg this morning that had white feathers stuck to it. I only have 1 white chicken and she was not the one I assumed would be the 2nd layer. She's an EE and I was expecting a blue or green egg from her and this egg is like a medium brown. Hmmm, I wonder if I should assume she laid it or if I should assume the feathers just got stuck to it after it was laid! :/ oh well I guess it's a mystery for now.

I think eggs from your own chickens are even better because you raised the chickens, you put in all the hard work and it's your reward!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hmmm, I got an egg this morning that had white feathers stuck to it. I only have 1 white chicken and she was not the one I assumed would be the 2nd layer. She's an EE and I was expecting a blue or green egg from her and this egg is like a medium brown. Hmmm, I wonder if I should assume she laid it or if I should assume the feathers just got stuck to it after it was laid!

oh well I guess it's a mystery for now.

I think eggs from your own chickens are even better because you raised the chickens, you put in all the hard work and it's your reward!

The mixes used for EE can result in birds which lay brown eggs - so it is entirely possible that it was your EE. That being said, it's very easy for feathers to end up in the nest boxes (either from them investigating or even just floating around from elsewhere in the coop when things get stirred up, etc) , so it is possible that the egg landed on white feathers while still damp but came from a bird other than your EE. You can examine each bird and tell who is/isn't actively laying.

 

[Renee572]

The mixes used for EE can result in birds which lay brown eggs - so it is entirely possible that it was your EE.  That being said, it's very easy for feathers to end up in the nest boxes (either from them investigating or even just floating around from elsewhere in the coop when things get stirred up, etc) , so it is possible that the egg landed on white feathers while still damp but came from a bird other than your EE.  You can examine each bird and tell who is/isn't actively laying.

examine them how?

 

[Renee572]

Well I got a 2nd egg this morning and it also had white feathers on it so I'm thinking it's from after being laid, I do seem to always have tons of EE feathers around the coop so I'm leaning more to it being my new Hampshire girl laying.

 

[Quickster]

examine them how?

Check their vents. The ones with big wet gapey looking vents are laying. The ones that are small, closed and dry aren't. When I did It I think I traumatized them and the next day I only got one egg. And honestly I just got more confused after that because 4 of mine looked like they were laying but I only got 3 varieties of eggs. And a week later I still don't know who is lying what except for one because I've caught her in the box twice in a row so I know her eggs.