First Egg Countdown

[Happy Chooks]

Yep, you are supposed to raise chicks with your turkeys. Turkeys don't take to learning to eat/drink as easily at chickens do, so you raise them with chicks so the chicks show them how to eat/drink. See, now you have an excuse for your theft.

I'm waiting on my turkey order. A friend of mine and I ordered Sweetgrass turkeys from Porters. Gotta slip them by DH and into the coop.

He won't care until I ask him to build me a turkey coop.

 

[Danielle27]

I agree Happy Chooks. My Red SLs did the exact same thing. And hens do tend to favor shavings, however straw works too. I've never had my hens form a picket line and strike because of straw

I also have an update of my own. One of my little faverolles has decided to put her big-girl face on. She's turning bright beet red, almost overnight. No squatting or pacing yet though:

What a beauty! How old is she?

 

[Pele]

Hahaha, Happy Chooks, that's usually the case, isn't it? Bless all the SOs out there who put up with our addiction.

Thank you Danielle27! She's roughly 20 weeks old at this point. Much earlier than I expected her to lay, since she's a hoity toity purebred that I bought from a really nice lady in Texas. It was the first time I'd hatched eggs, so I was really pleased to be successful.

She looks even prettier when she's not being smooshed to prevent her from running away from the scary camera monster.

 

[Danielle27]

This is such a great thread! Ronott, you answered most of my questions, too. I have 3 red sex linked hens, and one has had her "big Girl" voice for the past week! The others don't seem to be as vocal yet. They are all about 16 weeks, and have gone red around their eyes, but the combs aren't really big yet. I keep checking the boxes in the house, and will get some golf balls to lay in the boxes. I also have 2 roosters, should I expect eggs a little sooner? All my chickens are the same age, and I've never raised them before. I also have noticed patches of feathers on the ground several times in the past 10 days, almost like their has been a squabble, but I am not finding any marks on any of the chickens. Any ideas?

How exciting! Do you have pictures of them?


Ron, Pele, and Happy Chooks, thank you. I'm going to stick with the pine shavings. I guess the girls agree because the nest boxes have been investigated and rearranged by one or both of the red sex links. How do I know it was them??? They left their feathers behind as a calling card...lol

 

[Pele]

Quote:
You're very welcome! Your setup looks really good. I've always used pingpong balls to fool my girls into laying. I guess they never question who lays the eggs with brand-names on them.

You're just two weeks away at most if they're investigating and rearranging already!

 

[chick man]

i did not use golf balls i put easter eggs that i painted white and that fooled mine. what is the deal with my hens all laying in the same nest? i don't have any roos.

 

[ronott1]

i did not use golf balls i put easter eggs that i painted white and that fooled mine. what is the deal with my hens all laying in the same nest? i don't have any roos.

Yes! anything round and about the size of an egg works. It helps with them pecking and breaking them. I have golf balls and fake wooden eggs from Michaels Craft store.

Mine do that too! It is too funny to see two hens trying to lay an egg in the same nest box while a third one is squaking for her turn and there are three other nest open...

Quote:

You're very welcome! Your setup looks really good. I've always used pingpong balls to fool my girls into laying. I guess they never question who lays the eggs with brand-names on them.

You're just two weeks away at most if they're investigating and rearranging already!

Yes! I agree, you will have the first egg soon. My EE laid her first egg and has been holding out for a week now. The Marans that hatched at the same time looks ready but no eggs yet. They are only 20 weeks old, so the Marans will take more time. The EE should start laying regularly soon too. Hurry up and Lay! I want to see the dark and blue green eggs.

Quote: Your welcome! The nest looks great. Hopefully they won't like it too much and sleep in it.

Ron

 

[Coop Deville]

Two of my three barred rocks squatted for me for the first time yesterday. They have become very friendly in the last few days, too. They are just over 21 weeks old. and they are the oldest in my flock. The countdown has begun to my first eggs as a chicken owner!

 

[Coop Deville]

Five months and $300 later, here's my first egg. It arrived this morning.

 

[Pele]

Five months and $300 later, here's my first egg. It arrived this morning.

Thats awesome, congrats!

It's so pretty! I always said my first egg was worth a thousand bucks, because I'm sure I spent that much on making their coop (think of somone with no construction skills having to buy basic tools, and make purchase mistakes).

On another note, I was re-reading, and I wanted to clarify that when I picked up my new baby chicken at the feed-store, I did pay for her (the purchase was just unknown to my fiance, not the store employees ). In fact, since she was counted as a turkey, she was a whole 2 dollars more! Fancy 4 dollar chicken betta lay me some blue eggs! I cuddle her on the couch almost every night, just to get my money's worth.