First Egg Countdown

[stcroixusvi]

Woohoo!! First egg! Peeps are 18 weeks tomorrow - must have been one of the RIR's. It was on the ground, unfortunately....will work on that! Isn't it beautiful? Perfect, in fact. Thank you, ladies!! (it's the small one next to the store bought - both organic

)

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats everyone!

Off to go check on my freeloading barnevelders.

 

[CarolynF]

Well, I'm back and waiting for my Marans to lay her first little chocolate egg.

She's 2 days shy of 20 weeks, but 2 of her sisters layed their first egg TODAY! Her sisters are at 2 other homes, but thru the magic of the telephone I was alerted to the exciting news. Wheeee, here we go again!

 

[CarolynF]

Oh... I forgot to mention some very entertaining behavior I witnessed today. Pearl, my Black Australorp who's been laying for just a few weeks, was out playing in the yard with her BFFs. I noticed she was getting really chummy with the our #1 girl... tailgating, practically walking on top of her! Then she started walking funny, fluffing out all her feathers and squatting & walking all at the same time! Then whoosh... out dropped her little brown egg right on the lawn! She doesn't sing an egg song any more, so I better keep an eye on this one! I wonder why she didn't hustle back to the nest box? She usually runs in and out of the coop about a dozen times before she actually sits down to lay!

Very strange.
Has anyone noticed this sort of thing before?

 

[ChickiChica]

About how long before eggs show up does the squatting begin?

Also, any ideas about how old your average Welsummer or Buff Orph is when they begin laying? Early or late? Those two of my girls are about 16 weeks now, quite big, with red wattles and combs, but still not sure how much longer we might have to wait. Don't want to excite the kids too soon to start looking!

 

[Pele]

Grats to everyone, those are some awesome looking eggs, and an adorable excited little kid!

Happy Chooks, are your Barnvelders still freeloading?

Chickichica, hens usually start squatting within two weeks of laying. Welsummers tend to be late layers, and Buff Orphs are average at about 20 weeks or so. It depends on where you get them though, as hatchery birds are bred to lay a bit earlier than breeder birds.

Hope that helps!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yep, 2 barnevelders and 1 welsummer still freeloading at 27 weeks. I'm now convinced my 18 week old olive egged will lay before the barnevelders. (maybe if I say that, they'll feel the competition

)

 

[wowmanacat]

Still waiting for eggs but I did see one of the twins was looking in to one of the nest boxes today. Since I have a broody in one fo the boxes I put a pet taxi in there as a nest box till this week end when I will make a new one.

 

[Audsrose]

These are my wonderful RIR;s and today exactly 20 weeks old, I got my first eggs. 3 out of my 5 hens blessed me this morning. Have taken pics but have not uploaded as of yet. I was soooo excited.

 

[binders]

Congrats to everyone for their first eggs.

Still have a few more weeks befor I will start looking