First Egg Countdown

[StephHSC]

It finally happened! My EE laid her first egg!



And it was big for a first egg. It's next to a large red sex link egg to compare.
Thanks everyone for all the support!

WOW! What a egg it is! Congrats! How old was she?

 

[Happy Chooks]

It finally happened! My EE laid her first egg!



And it was big for a first egg. It's next to a large red sex link egg to compare.
Thanks everyone for all the support!

Congrats. And a double yolker too!

Well I'm waiting on chicken number one of three to start laying. She's a 26 week old barred rock named Dorothy and other than a red comb, she doesn't show any other signs of laying any time soon. But being that she's 26 weeks, the whole house and at this point some of the neighbor kids are now anxiously awaiting that first egg

This is her when we first got her (4ish weeks):


and here she is now (well, last week):


c'mon Dorothy!

It should be any time now.

 

[Utard]

My first egg was at about 19-20 weeks. For 5 of 7 chickens they started from 19-22 weeks. But my 2 ameracanas still have not started to lay yet. And they are at about 26 weeks or 6 months. Anyone know if ameracanas are a little slower on the egg laying?

 

[LadyCluck77]

WOW! What a egg it is! Congrats! How old was she?

Thanks so much! I'm not sure how old she is- I got her in July as a "Started Pullet" supposedly 15-20 weeks, but she and her Cuckoo Marans pal were still peeping and fuzzy-headed when they arrived, so I estimate they were probably only about 4 weeks old. So she would be somewhere around 27 weeks old now. I live in a cold, snowy area with no light in my coop. I almost wasn't expecting to find any turquoise eggs until spring.

 

[StephHSC]

Thanks so much! I'm not sure how old she is- I got her in July as a "Started Pullet" supposedly 15-20 weeks, but she and her Cuckoo Marans pal were still peeping and fuzzy-headed when they arrived, so I estimate they were probably only about 4 weeks old. So she would be somewhere around 27 weeks old now. I live in a cold, snowy area with no light in my coop. I almost wasn't expecting to find any turquoise eggs until spring.

I think my EE must be younger than they said she was. She doesn't have much of a comb yet. The Cuckoo Marans is 27 weeks and no eggs yet. The RIR is 29 weeks and hasn't laid yet. The BO is laying a egg every other day. I thought the Cuckoo Marans was going to gift me yesterday but I guess she was just laying on the other nest to keep Jenny company. LOL
The weather here today is supposed to be in the 80's. One week it's balmy the next week it's freezing. No light in the coop here either.

 

[Happy Chooks]

My first egg was at about 19-20 weeks. For 5 of 7 chickens they started from 19-22 weeks. But my 2 ameracanas still have not started to lay yet. And they are at about 26 weeks or 6 months. Anyone know if ameracanas are a little slower on the egg laying?

They can be a bit slower to mature, especially with the shorter days.

In a couple more weeks, we'll hit the Solstice and then the days will be getting longer again.

 

[Utard]

They can be a bit slower to mature, especially with the shorter days.

In a couple more weeks, we'll hit the Solstice and then the days will be getting longer again.

I did read about how they need something like 14 hours of sun a day to keep up production so I do have a light on a timer. Seems to be working good? Out of 5 layers I get and alternating of 4 then 5 eggs every day.

Sounds like someone just laid another egg I better go check it before it freezes. Its kind of funny how they announce it.

 

[LadyCluck77]

I think my EE must be younger than they said she was. She doesn't have much of a comb yet. The Cuckoo Marans is 27 weeks and no eggs yet. The RIR is 29 weeks and hasn't laid yet. The BO is laying a egg every other day. I thought the Cuckoo Marans was going to gift me yesterday but I guess she was just laying on the other nest to keep Jenny company. LOL
The weather here today is supposed to be in the 80's. One week it's balmy the next week it's freezing. No light in the coop here either.

That's a great sign for your Marans. A few days before my EE laid- she was also checking out the nesting box, and "practiced" sitting there for a short time while another older hen was laying. I predict you will see a dark egg very soon.

My EE's comb is just a Pea Comb, so it doesn't look like much either, just a little bubble on the front of her face. She has no wattles either, so it's hard to tell on those gals.

 

[KelsiNS]

Alice has started squatting, and her vent is bright pink. I was feeling her pelvic bones and the area is very rounded. COME ON MY BLACK BEAUTY!

 

[fasschicks]

Well, I am new to chickens this fall. Have only had my 6 girls (25-27 weeks old) for 7 weeks and I finally have 3 girls laying. Yeah! My Dominique started a week after we got her (at 19 weeks) and she has been regularly laying about 5 eggs a week since. My Giant Jersey/Silkie started to lay about 2 weeks ago and is also laying 5 a week. Then just last week, my white EE started laying and in the first week she laid 5 eggs in 8 days!

I have 2 other EE's who don't seem too interested in laying. Their combs are a lighter pink, but every once in a while I catch them in the nesting box. These 2 girls seem to be the "old hens" of the group. They go in early at night and sit together on the top roost with a scowl on their faces. It makes me laugh because I am wondering what they are so grumpy about. One of them is starting to get a little braver/curious around me and so far, that has been the sign that they are getting ready to lay. I don't know if there is any truth to this, but that has been my observation with the other girls.

I do have a Barnavelder that I thought was laying, but have concluded that my Dominique laid the 3 eggs that had a little bit of speckle on them. Barney has been squatting really hard for 3+ weeks and about 3 weeks ago was pacing really hard between the run and the nesting box. But that only lasted a couple of days and I really don't see that any more from her. Her comb has gotten redder and again she is squatting hard, so hopefully she will start laying soon? I have heard that Barney's lay a darker brown egg. My other 2 brown layers (Dominique and GJ/Silkie) are laying light brown eggs, so I don't think I am missing anything?

Fass