First Egg Countdown

[sunflower4you]

I got my first egg yesterday!

From a 21.5 week old Easter Egger Bantam.

Pretty little egg.

 

[bekahubbell]

I got my first egg yesterday!

From a 21.5 week old Easter Egger Bantam.

Beautiful egg, Congrats!! I am so anxious for my EE to lay her first egg. She is just about the same age as yours but not bantam.

 

[Katbird01]

Congrats!!
And I was thinking to do the same thing with all my store bought eggs. Hoping for my second egg today, she didn't lay yesterday but her first one on Thursday was laid late in the day.

We got our second egg on Saturday night but so far no 3rd egg. She was sitting in the nest this morning when I went out. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the eggs from the other 3 chickens. I think 2 will start pretty soon as their combs are turning bright red and growing. My 4th is apparently a slow starter. She is barely pink so far.

 

[bekahubbell]

That's so awesome! So far mine has given me an egg a day since she skipped her one day. Im eagerly awaiting my EE to lay her first. I still have 2 more little ones that will hopefully lay around November and my Polish, well she may be the oldest but who knows when she will lay. She is just for entertainment and looks. Hopefully youll get more eggs soon! I have begun to know the tell tale signs in my layer when she is going to lay, its funny.

 

[greenpalm]

We got our first egg today! 21 weeks to the day after we brought the chicks home. The egg weighed 40 g. We think it's the most beautiful egg we've ever seen.

ETA: She laid it right in the nesting box just where she was supposed to! Sweet smart girl!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I got my first egg yesterday! From a 21.5 week old Easter Egger Bantam.

Congrats! Very pretty color!

My 3 RIRs will be 19 weeks on Wednesday. I have 2 who seem to be about ready to start laying and 1 who doesn't seem quite as ready. One of them squats and sticks her butt in the air when I pet her. I check every time I go out there now but nothing yet! They've also gotten very very vocal lately. I'm surprised none of my neighbors have said anything lol. I don't think it's the egg song but maybe it is! Getting impatient! Come on eggs! How can I tell who laid the first egg or who's laying which eggs?

Your best her is to catch them laying. You can also feel their pelvic bones (not vent). A pullet that is laying will have a larger spread between her pelvic bones.

Congrats! We got our first egg today! 21 weeks to the day after we brought the chicks home. The egg weighed 40 g. We think it's the most beautiful egg we've ever seen. ETA: She laid it right in the nesting box just where she was supposed to! Sweet smart girl!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have a Buff Brahma pullet that turned 21 weeks yesterday. I haven't heard any unusual noises from her, she's pretty quiet, but her rooster friend did make very strange trilling noises yesterday. She also runs away from him whenever he tries to mount her. If I pet her a couple times she will crouch, but when I take my hand away she stands back up, so I'm not really sure if thats the "submissive squat" or what. Do all hens sing the egg song? Because she doesn't want the rooster's attentions does that mean she's not ready for egg laying? Her little pea comb is a deeper red, and it seems to have gotten bigger over the past few days. I put a little milk crate into their A-Frame and filled it with pine shavings, but she's been steering clear of it. Do I have a while before I can expect my first "first egg"?

I'll post pics of her comb in a minute or two

Most will sing the egg song. Some will sing before they lay, some sing during laying and others sing after. It's an individual thing, just like their maturity.

It's normal for pullets to run from a rooster when they are maturing. If she's squating for you, she's fairly close to laying. Also look for her to be red around her eye. Combs and wattles redden up quickly, but when the skin around the eye reddens, they are close to laying.

 

[bekahubbell]

We got our first egg today! 21 weeks to the day after we brought the chicks home. The egg weighed 40 g. We think it's the most beautiful egg we've ever seen. ETA: She laid it right in the nesting box just where she was supposed to! Sweet smart girl!

Congrats! Beautiful lil egg!

 

[cmlew99]

@HappyChooks Thanks for replying! She doesn't really squat for more than a second, because after I move my hand she's on her way. I don't really know what the kind of squatting that everyone here is talking about, or if they are the same thing. Here is her face this afternoon... still no egg song :/

This is what she does when I pet her, but I can't tell if she's just doing it to get away from my hand or not

Here is a different angle of her face.

 

[Happy Chooks]

That doesn't look like a squat, but since you have a rooster, she may not squat for you. (mine rarely squat for me) Her face is certainly extremely red, so she's close to laying soon.