First Egg Countdown

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
The wellies are fine. I have breeder stock and they never lay before 24 weeks. It's so worth it when the eggs start coming. I had one pullet not lay until 11 months, then she laid for a couple months and went broody.

Now the barnevelders do test my patience. They take FOREVER to start laying.

 

[Flowerbh]

my chicks are 12weeks old.I can not wait for them to give me the first egg.They are still on grow and start feed. When do i change feed to crumble laying feed.I am new at this and need all the help i can get.

You should give your chickens starter feed from 0 - 6 weeks. Grower feed from 6 - 17 weeks, and a pre-Layer feed from 17 - 19 weeks and laying feed after 19 weeks. If you are on a tight budget, skip the pre-layer stage by giving them a calcium suppliment with their grower feed. Don't keep them on started feed for too long because there is too much protein in it. You don't want your chickens to grow too fast. It is not good for their bones and it can cause your chickens to mature too fast. A pullet needs time to grow her bones properly before she starts laying eggs. Also, be sure and provide grit if they are not free ranging or can't get to dirt everyday.

 

[chicken pickin]

my chicks are 12weeks old.I can not wait for them to give me the first egg.They are still on grow and start feed. When do i change feed to crumble laying feed.I am new at this and need all the help i can get.

If they are on a starter/grower they are good on that until 20weeks of age or first egg which ever comes first. So come 20 weeks or first egg you can switch to layer pellets.

 

[dsteber]

WooHoo!!! Got my first egg the other day!!! Finally!!! 2 so far. No doubt it is from Brandy. She better show the others how it's done!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!

I have more NOT laying right now than I do laying. Between broodies and molting, I'm not getting many eggs.

 

[7L Farm]

Its been a year since I've been to this thread & guess what ? I have 17 pullets fixin to lay. Their my Texas reds I hatched & their 17 weeks old. Think I've got another month before they lay but I'll report back with a progress report. I thinned out 13 cockerels but still have 4 more with the pullets. Might get rid of one & add some roo's to my other flocks & leave two with the new flock.

 

[off-grid hen]

What's a "Texas Red"? I'm assuming it's some brand of red sex link, only bigger?

 

[off-grid hen]

I got a dark brown tiny egg in my nest boxes two days in a row. I don't know if it's from one of the golden comets, or by some miracle, I have an Easter Egger AND a Welsummer laying before either of the golden comets.

Do they lay a darkish brown egg? I will be spying on the nest boxes this weekend. Til then, maybe I'll upload a photo of the Wellie and the two sex links. Hmmmm.

 

[Chickmama74]

You can have some of my eggs.....LOL. I have 6 hens that are laying and for the most part I get 5 to 6 eggs per day and I have no clue what to do with them. I sometimes give them to my friends but when your friends still have the 12 that you gave them it's time to do something else.

 

[rlhagan56]

Hey, I have a wireless foaling camera you could use to spy with

lol. By some miracle ( or spending too much time with my chickens) I got to watch two of them lay their eggs).

We are now getting 5 eggs a day and since I can eat these eggs for the first time in my life, (read an article on a mother to a food allergy boy who got layers and fed organic, her son could eat them. So I had a good excuse to be "allowed" to get chickens again. Lol, I had promised no more huge farm of animals. 5 miniature horses, 2 Siamese, and now 16 chickens later) and also you can whip them up and freeze them then thaw to use in recipes or scramble.