First Egg Countdown

[Jewelwing]

I take it back, but it's not really happy news. I went inside the coop, instead of just checking the egg boxes, and there was a squashed egg on the wood chips on the floor of the coop. My first egg, and it's a squashed, frozen egg with a super soft shell, and it looks like it's been pecked. So it was laid outside the nest boxes, had a soft shell, and my chickens ate part of it. Aaugh! I'm so upset I'm on the verge of tears. No congratulations here.





Cut in half with a butter knife (still frozen):



I don't even know who laid it. I have a wildlife camera in the coop, but for some reason it didn't take any pictures yesterday (likely when the egg was laid). Maybe the battery's getting low, but it did take several pictures on the 24th (of me putting out scratch in the coop on the wood chips), and a couple today just of chickens walking around. So I don't know if it was actually laid inside the box and then pushed out, or laid on the deep litter.

It doesn't look like a Welsummer egg - not dark enough, I think. So I don't know who laid it - Speckled Sussex, Brahma, Australorp, or Faverolle.

What am I doing wrong? I have plastic eggs inside the nest boxes, which are lined with cross-cut shredded brown paper. They seem welcoming to me. I'm feeding my pullets grower food with free choice oyster shell and crushed egg shells. Why is this egg shell so soft? Is this something that happens when the egg freezes, or are they not getting enough calcium?

 

[Happy Chooks]

Soft shelled eggs can happen with new layers, it's nothing to be concerned about. It looks like it may have been dropped, possibly from the roost? It doesn't look like it was pecked into to me. Even if your flock ate part of it, I wouldn't worry. I've had eggs broken in the nest and it gets eaten, but it's never turned into egg eaters.

My bet would be on the Australorp. Be patient, their bodies have to adjust to laying - you will get all sorts of weird eggs. On the positive side, look at that gorgeous yolk color!

 

[LadyCluck77]

I take it back, but it's not really happy news. I went inside the coop, instead of just checking the egg boxes, and there was a squashed egg on the wood chips on the floor of the coop. My first egg, and it's a squashed, frozen egg with a super soft shell, and it looks like it's been pecked. So it was laid outside the nest boxes, had a soft shell, and my chickens ate part of it. Aaugh! I'm so upset I'm on the verge of tears. No congratulations here. Cut in half with a butter knife (still frozen): I don't even know who laid it. I have a wildlife camera in the coop, but for some reason it didn't take any pictures yesterday (likely when the egg was laid). Maybe the battery's getting low, but it did take several pictures on the 24th (of me putting out scratch in the coop on the wood chips), and a couple today just of chickens walking around. So I don't know if it was actually laid inside the box and then pushed out, or laid on the deep litter. It doesn't look like a Welsummer egg - not dark enough, I think. So I don't know who laid it - Speckled Sussex, Brahma, Australorp, or Faverolle. What am I doing wrong? I have plastic eggs inside the nest boxes, which are lined with cross-cut shredded brown paper. They seem welcoming to me. I'm feeding my pullets grower food with free choice oyster shell and crushed egg shells. Why is this egg shell so soft? Is this something that happens when the egg freezes, or are they not getting enough calcium?

My very first egg was just like that too! One of my leghorns, but it was kind of a soft shell, plus she had never layed an egg, so she didn't know what was happening. She layed it from the roost, a few smashed eggs later and she finally figured out about the nest boxes. Luckily she helped teach the others to learn to use the box more quickly. Except the really dumb one. She still occasionally drops hers from the roost. It is frustrating, but I promise they do all learn.

Here it is, my cuckoo marans egg, smashed, frozen, and unusable. Today, actually. Etalease excuse my filthy kitchen sink, I cleaned out the fridge today and forgot to clean the sink after, gonna go do that now...

 

[Jewelwing]

Soft shelled eggs can happen with new layers, it's nothing to be concerned about. It looks like it may have been dropped, possibly from the roost? It doesn't look like it was pecked into to me. Even if your flock ate part of it, I wouldn't worry. I've had eggs broken in the nest and it gets eaten, but it's never turned into egg eaters.

My bet would be on the Australorp. Be patient, their bodies have to adjust to laying - you will get all sorts of weird eggs. On the positive side, look at that gorgeous yolk color!

Thanks, it was right under the roost, so you're probably right! I totally wish I could have seen that happen. And you're right, I love the yolk color. It certainly should be deep orange, with all the good stuff they get to eat!

My very first egg was just like that too!
One of my leghorns, but it was kind of a soft shell, plus she had never layed an egg, so she didn't know what was happening. She layed it from the roost, a few smashed eggs later and she finally figured out about the nest boxes.
Luckily she helped teach the others to learn to use the box more quickly. Except the really dumb one. She still occasionally drops hers from the roost.

It is frustrating, but I promise they do all learn.


Here it is, my cuckoo marans egg, smashed, frozen, and unusable. Today, actually.

Etalease excuse my filthy kitchen sink, I cleaned out the fridge today and forgot to clean the sink after, gonna go do that now...

Thanks so much! That helps to know. Seems like all I see are these pictures of gorgeous first eggs - I thought I was the only one whose first egg was not edible.

Oh, and if that's a "filthy" kitchen sink, my whole house is in trouble!

 

[Jewelwing]

I went out and fed them some yogurt today, and a new one (a speckled sussex) squatted for me. And I cooked the "rubber" egg and fed that to them, which they loved.

Then when I went to tuck them in (make sure they all got in before the pop door closed), I found this under the nest boxes, resting snugly on the wood chips. My first "real egg"!




What a roller-coaster day! This egg was really cold, so it may well have been there when I found the first squashed egg, and I was just too stunned by that find to look further. This one has been sitting in the house for a while now, and I'm going to try to blow it out. It is a little mis-shapen, like maybe more shell was put down in one spot. I don't know if you can tell or not, but that is a shadow showing kind of a bump on the top part:



What a cute little egg! I'm so proud of whoever laid it. I tried to fix the trail camera so maybe I can see who lays the next one!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!

 

[NanaLynn]

My very first egg was just like that too!
One of my leghorns, but it was kind of a soft shell, plus she had never layed an egg, so she didn't know what was happening. She layed it from the roost, a few smashed eggs later and she finally figured out about the nest boxes.
Luckily she helped teach the others to learn to use the box more quickly. Except the really dumb one. She still occasionally drops hers from the roost.

It is frustrating, but I promise they do all learn.


Here it is, my cuckoo marans egg, smashed, frozen, and unusable. Today, actually.

Etalease excuse my filthy kitchen sink, I cleaned out the fridge today and forgot to clean the sink after, gonna go do that now...

Congrats, nice color!

I went out and fed them some yogurt today, and a new one (a speckled sussex) squatted for me. And I cooked the "rubber" egg and fed that to them, which they loved.

Then when I went to tuck them in (make sure they all got in before the pop door closed), I found this under the nest boxes, resting snugly on the wood chips. My first "real egg"!




What a roller-coaster day! This egg was really cold, so it may well have been there when I found the first squashed egg, and I was just too stunned by that find to look further. This one has been sitting in the house for a while now, and I'm going to try to blow it out. It is a little mis-shapen, like maybe more shell was put down in one spot. I don't know if you can tell or not, but that is a shadow showing kind of a bump on the top part:



What a cute little egg! I'm so proud of whoever laid it. I tried to fix the trail camera so maybe I can see who lays the next one!

Congrats! Looks like you have a couple laying!

 

[LadyCluck77]

Thanks Lynn!
She lays about a five, maybe six, on the Marans egg color chart, so I only recently discovered she was laying at all. It's a very similar color to my RSLs. The only difference is I find them on the floor instead of in the boxes I figured out I kept getting five brown eggs from four brown egg layers.
When I looked really close, I could see purplish spots on what I suspect are hers.

 

[Jewelwing]

Congrats, nice color!

Congrats! Looks like you have a couple laying!

Thanks!

I think it's only one chicken laying, but she's done three eggs in three days, if you count the first "rubber" egg, because I got another this morning! The second real egg is a little bigger and darker than the first. I'm pretty sure it's one of my Welsummers whose laying - Dina, if you remember her from my earlier post. Tomorrow I'm going to get up early to see if I can catch the layer in action!

Congrats!

Thanks!!

 

[NanaLynn]

Thanks Lynn!
She lays about a five, maybe six, on the Marans egg color chart, so I only recently discovered she was laying at all. It's a very similar color to my RSLs. The only difference is I find them on the floor instead of in the boxes I figured out I kept getting five brown eggs from four brown egg layers.
When I looked really close, I could see purplish spots on what I suspect are hers.

A RSL is a red sexlink, right? I didn't realize their eggs were that dark? Maybe it is a little darker in the photo? Anyway, I have a RSL that is squatting now and I hope that she lays an egg that dark too. So far my BR's, WR, and RIR lay eggs in a light brown color. My once broody EE who lays lime green eggs is finally done molting and is squatting again! She stopped for 2 whole months! So if she starts soon I should have a variety of colors, plus with one of the cuckoo marans squatting too!

I get just a little too excited over my chickens as you see!

Thanks!

I think it's only one chicken laying, but she's done three eggs in three days, if you count the first "rubber" egg, because I got another this morning! The second real egg is a little bigger and darker than the first. I'm pretty sure it's one of my Welsummers whose laying - Dina, if you remember her from my earlier post. Tomorrow I'm going to get up early to see if I can catch the layer in action!

Thanks!!

I've had a few of those eggs earlier on with my older chickens when they started. I love the little tiny eggs they sometimes lay too. Good luck catching that layer in action. My husband thinks I am crazy when I do that..of course sometimes he is sneaking out and doing the same thing!

I wanted a Welsummer. I did have one that lived until around 6 weeks old but it was one of the ones I lost when we had a dog attack in the summer. I ordered another one with this last batch of chicks that are now getting to POL but she turns out to be a light brown leghorn, oh well, maybe a few years down the road I'll get another. I did get an extra cuckoo maran in the order, so maybe she'll make up for those dark eggs I want.