First Egg Countdown

[ronott1]

Will Ginger lay almost every day now that she's started?

They often have a couple of days that they will miss when they start. The eggs will slowly get bigger over the next couple of months. With Sex Links, you should eventually get an extra large egg nearly every day for the first year. Pullets usually lay through the first winter then after a molt, they start a new cycle and will begin laying a bit less often--not really noticeable until after the second year. They may also take a break or slow down in the winter--more so the further north you live.

These guys lay the most eggs of the back yard breeds. Commercial Leghorns are the only ones that will lay more. We can't get those. The commercial egg laying farms hatch their own and don't let them out.

Enjoy your eggs.

Ron

 

[foodieandeggs]

Thanks everybody! Hey Danielle27, I have 10 hens that are 19 weeks. I am currently waiting for 9 to lay. I cracked open that little tiny brown egg this morning for breakfast. It had the cutest little yolk in it! I can't wait for more! I love BYC!!!


P.S. Have you ever heard of afternoon layers?

 

[kahlua]

I got my first egg from my 5 month old BCM pullet today!! It's a little darker in person, next to my light blue/green (looks white in the pic..) Ameraucana egg.


Here she is about 2-3 weeks ago, when I first brought her home.



Now I am just waiting for the cuckoo marans pullet to lay her first egg. She doesn't look quite ready yet but hopefully she isn't too far behind.
Again this was 2-3 weeks ago...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!!!

 

[Danielle27]

Congrats on her first egg! I like the spots.

They often have a couple of days that they will miss when they start. The eggs will slowly get bigger over the next couple of months. With Sex Links, you should eventually get an extra large egg nearly every day for the first year. Pullets usually lay through the first winter then after a molt, they start a new cycle and will begin laying a bit less often--not really noticeable until after the second year. They may also take a break or slow down in the winter--more so the further north you live.

These guys lay the most eggs of the back yard breeds. Commercial Leghorns are the only ones that will lay more. We can't get those. The commercial egg laying farms hatch their own and don't let them out.

Enjoy your eggs.

Ron

Thanks! That's awesome! I'm super excited to fill my fridge up with those yummy eggs.


So I think ginger laid another egg today! It was lighter than the first one but about the same size. Do you think it could have been the other red sex link?

 

[Danielle27]

Thanks everybody! Hey Danielle27, I have 10 hens that are 19 weeks. I am currently waiting for 9 to lay. I cracked open that little tiny brown egg this morning for breakfast. It had the cutest little yolk in it! I can't wait for more! I love BYC!!!


P.S. Have you ever heard of afternoon layers?

Well, Mine laid today after 11 am but before 12 pm. I was gone again. I also missed the first one, so I didn't get to hear the egg song. I did get to hear their "pre-egg" brrrrrrking...lol It turns out that thats the noise they've been making, which started about 1.5-2 weeks ago. Now the 15 week olds - a silkie, a barred rock, and a dominique - are trying to copy the noise. I told them to stop faking, they have a while. lol

I also cracked open ginger's tiny egg. I agree that the yolk was adorable. It was also nice and orange inside.

 

[crchickens]

Our girls are all 16 weeks old. We are waiting for eggs here, too. We have three RIRs, two SWs, one California White, two BO, and four BRs.

 

[Pele]

Congrats to those who have their first eggs!

Yes your hens can lay in the afternoons, but they usually dont' push it past 5pm. Their bodies produce eggs on a roughly 25 to 26 hour cycle, which means they will lay later and later in the day, then skip a day to start over to early morning laying again.


Oh, and in other news, my little Faverolle girl finally squatted! However, she did so in a way that offended my tender sensibilities. She was free-ranging yesterday with the other hens (usually a case of mutually ignoring each other). However, she apparently decided to squat, and .... *ahem* the older hens did not decline the offer. My household was quite confused as to why I ran outside yelling at the hens and scattering them. Nor why I was smacking my forehead when my little Butterscotch shook out some feathers the hens ripped out, then squatted for me too. Needless to say she's got a couple days of no-freeranging in her near future.

 

[Danielle27]

Congrats to those who have their first eggs!

Yes your hens can lay in the afternoons, but they usually dont' push it past 5pm. Their bodies produce eggs on a roughly 25 to 26 hour cycle, which means they will lay later and later in the day, then skip a day to start over to early morning laying again.


Oh, and in other news, my little Faverolle girl finally squatted! However, she did so in a way that offended my tender sensibilities. She was free-ranging yesterday with the other hens (usually a case of mutually ignoring each other). However, she apparently decided to squat, and .... *ahem* the older hens did not decline the offer. My household was quite confused as to why I ran outside yelling at the hens and scattering them. Nor why I was smacking my forehead when my little Butterscotch shook out some feathers the hens ripped out, then squatted for me too. Needless to say she's got a couple days of no-freeranging in her near future.

lol How exciting!


So my daughter and I found buttercup in the nest box this morning. We stayed with her( outside the coop) for about an hour before she finally laid her first egg! She was so quiet and calm about it that it seemed as if she had done it before. This egg was a shade lighter than the egg laid yesterday. So far we have gotten 1 egg everyday for 3 days(since the first egg). Ginger was inspecting the nest box and making the "I need to lay" noise, but she hasn't laid yet today. This is so fun!

Anyways, here is a picture of buttercups first egg!

Here is buttercup right after laying. She was so calm after getting that thing out of her and she has been quiet ever since

 

[Pele]

lol How exciting!


So my daughter and I found buttercup in the nest box this morning. We stayed with her( outside the coop) for about an hour before she finally laid her first egg! She was so quiet and calm about it that it seemed as if she had done it before. This egg was a shade lighter than the egg laid yesterday. So far we have gotten 1 egg everyday for 3 days(since the first egg). Ginger was inspecting the nest box and making the "I need to lay" noise, but she hasn't laid yet today. This is so fun!

Anyways, here is a picture of buttercups first egg!

Here is buttercup right after laying. She was so calm after getting that thing out of her and she has been quiet ever since

Congrats!!

Glad she got through it so easily. My Sexlinks were the same way lol. They remind me of the ladies you see on National Geographic giving birth in the fields like it's no big deal, then gettin back to work. Made of stronger stuff than me, that's for sure!