First Egg Countdown

[Whoops]

Oooo - this sounds hopeful as my girls are 19 weeks (just counted and was a week or two off in their age) Maybe I might see Christmas eggs! They went to town on the oyster shells yesterday, and the Barred Rock has been getting quite vocal and less skittish.

hoping hoping hoping

 

[irischick]

One of my Black stars was checking out the nesting box today. Maybe soon. Also my 4 - month old Hans covered his first hen today - our adult bantam -Henna.

 

[kat79]

After a week of squatting she laid a nice small brown egg.. Monday seems a lot better

 

[Junibutt]

New Coop-No Eggs.

I was getting 4-5 eggs a day from my 5 pullets who were in a 6 x 2.5 small Chinese Coop. I spent around $400 in materials plus a bunch of recycled materials to make them a duplex 7 x 5 and 7 x 4 coop. Added 2 more pullets the first day and another 2 on day number 3. Here are my egg production numbers after giving them a Deluxe upgrade:

Day 1- 8 eggs from 7
Day 2- 4 eggs from 7
Day 3- 6 eggs from 9
Day 4- 5 eggs from 9
Day 5- 4 eggs from 9
Day 6- 5 eggs from 9
Day 7- 3 eggs from 9
Day 8- 0 eggs from 9

I am just wondering if it was the 3 day cold spell that caused a sudden decrease in egg production yesterday and today (zero). I am especially worried about my Red Star Marcy who was on a 110 day laying streak. She did not lay yesterday or today. (there goes the world record in trash)

I would understand that the new pullets might stop because of the stress from picking but why have the old pullets stopped?

I am going to wait and see how it goes tomorrow since the weather is nice today and I have opened a section of their coop for more air and sunlight for the next 3 days.

I guess it was a false alarm with Marcy. I found two of her eggs burried in straw in other portions of the coop. May be she didn't like the new nesting area. Others did stop production for couple of days and I am glad to report that finally today my last Australorp laid an egg as well so I got 9 out of 9 eggs. Yeah! Here is my new egg production chart after they were put in a new coop.

Day 8- 1 from 9
Day 9- 1 from 9
Day 10- 5 from 9
Day 11- 6 from 9
Day 12- 6 from 9
Day 13- 5 from 9
Day 14- 5 from 9
Day 15- 5 from 9
Day 16- 6 from 9
Day 17- 6 from 9
Day 18- 6 from 9
Day 19- 5 from 9
Day 20- 4 from 9
Day 21- 4 from 9
Day 22- 7 from 9 (Broodie Brownie started laying again)
Day 23- 5 from 9
Day 24- 6 from 9
Day 25- 7 from 9
Day 26- 7 from 9
Day 27- 9 from 9 - I am so excited today. Finally a perfect score

I am wondering that although two of them are molting (they are only 6 months old), one of them has kept laying throughout the molt. Whereas the Australorp laid her first egg today even though half of her back is bare from molting. Is that normal? OR is it because of the 24 hr light I am providing them. Are there any dangers to providing them a light 24/7 instead of just 14-16 hrs a day? I have been leaving the light on all night because of the cold spell, wondering if I should give them some rest.



Here is a picture of my coop at night with light on. You can only see four of them because the rest of them climbed up to their sleeping quarters.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I don't give any lighting, but I do know you are only supposed to use it to lengthen the daylight hours to 15-16 hours. They still need the down time for sleeping, and 24 hour lighting can mess with their roosting habits.

 

[Happy Chooks]

After a week of squatting she laid a nice small brown egg.. Monday seems a lot better

Congrats!

 

[Marks chickens]

I didn't get my first egg till 7 months but my neighbors started laying at 4 months so it can be any day now hope you get one

 

[LadyCluck77]

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!

 

[chickadee5002]

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!

Yay! Congrats!

 

[gotpockets]

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!