First Egg Countdown

[Pele]

I am so excited! My ladies are 17 weeks old today. Today I thought, maybe I should go out and work on my nesting boxes since they will be laying soon. Imagine my shock when I discovered two piles of eggs down on the floor in the dark corner under the nesting boxes.....After digging and digging, I ended up with a dozen eggs and my lovely Beyonce' begging me to get out of there so she could lay an egg.

I definitely have at least two girls laying - but I suspect I have four at the moment. I thought I had more time but I guess they had other plans.

I hadn't even been looking for eggs in this area (under the nesting boxes where it's dark and private) - just under or near the roosting bars......I guess it was silly of me not to look in the one spot they probably would lay in.



She was getting ready to lay another egg.....but I upset her when I grabbed all of these out of the coop because was was kind of pecking around at them. I ended up having to find a golf ball in order to get her to lay her egg.


I suspect this was our first egg - it was the smallest.

The haul on the first day that I realized we were getting eggs....... The top right one is the one that Beyonce' laid when I was working on the nesting boxes - the rest were what I found as I dug around in the pine shavings.....How exciting!

Ok that takes first prize for First Egg Find! Holey mackerel thats the fixins for a lumberjack breakfast. Congrats!

 

[HappyHenMama]

I got one, I got one, no I got two, no I got three!

I'm so darn excited I can hardly stand it! It feels like I've been waiting y e a r s. I was gone all day yesterday so I didn't even check for an egg...I had given up. This morning their were two eggs in one nest box. One was from my little broody banty (Goldie) that went broody in February and I broke her broody twice and by the third time I gave up and let her do her thing. She hatched one egg, took care of the little guy for about 6 weeks, then she moulted, and now she's laying again. Anyway, I went out to check boxes a little while ago and there was another egg in the same box as this morning! They are beauties, and I have pics to share with everyone but I've been trying all day to upload them here and it's not happening. So I give up.

Kinda takes some of the fun out of it.

Anyway, I suspect it's either my Red Star (Pebbles) or my White Cochin (Lucy), both 18 1/2 weeks old. Does anyone know what color eggs Cochin's lay? These are a medium brown but they are small. So by the size I would guess my little Lucy. They would be a small egg from the grocery store.

I'm excited non the less. I got these girls in March as peeps and this is the most birds I've had at once. Last year I had just two laying hens...little Goldie and a BR (Sara),but she passed the first of this year.

Congrats CrazyChickenLady...that is quite the stash they had going there! How exciting huh?

 

[CrzyCknLady]

I am so excited! It's kind of disappointing now to go out to the coop and not find a dozen eggs. I should have known when the bedding was all shoved in the corner that something was up. Glad I noticed today - and the kids couldn't wait to eat them tonight for dinner - luckily it was breakfast for dinner night.

 

[HappyHenMama]

I got one, I got one, no I got two, no I got three!

I'm so darn excited I can hardly stand it! It feels like I've been waiting y e a r s. I was gone all day yesterday so I didn't even check for an egg...I had given up. This morning their were two eggs in one nest box. One was from my little broody banty (Goldie) that went broody in February and I broke her broody twice and by the third time I gave up and let her do her thing. She hatched one egg, took care of the little guy for about 6 weeks, then she moulted, and now she's laying again. Anyway, I went out to check boxes a little while ago and there was another egg in the same box as this morning! They are beauties, and I have pics to share with everyone but I've been trying all day to upload them here and it's not happening. So I give up.

Kinda takes some of the fun out of it.

Anyway, I suspect it's either my Red Star (Pebbles) or my White Cochin (Lucy), both 18 1/2 weeks old. Does anyone know what color eggs Cochin's lay? These are a medium brown but they are small. So by the size I would guess my little Lucy. They would be a small egg from the grocery store.

I'm excited non the less. I got these girls in March as peeps and this is the most birds I've had at once. Last year I had just two laying hens...little Goldie and a BR (Sara),but she passed the first of this year.

Congrats CrazyChickenLady...that is quite the stash they had going there! How exciting huh?

So, here is the first egg. It's the one in the middle, the one to the left is a store bought egg and the one on the right is Goldie's.

 

[rlhagan56]

Awh! I get so many good laughs from everyone on this site everytime I read something lol. We are all crazy, but in a good way I just went out and Miss Buffy WAS IN A NEST! I am so proud of her! I had plastic easter eggs in the nest boxes. Can't wait to go out later to look for treasures lol. This is my favorite girl who will peck my toes or butt if I quit passing out the mealworms, then she looks at me straight on, cracks me up.

CONGRATULATIONS CHICKEN MAMA'S !

 

[Dprod]

I noticed the pic of your chicks very cute!!!! My chicks are about 10 weeks. So how old are chickens before they start laying? And how do you know if they are getting ready to??

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats to all of you getting eggs.

I have a bit of a wait still on my next pullets. Barnevelders take FOREVER to start laying. (like 34 weeks but it's SO worth it when they do)

 

[Flowerbh]

A lot depends on the breed. Some of the sex-linked chickens can mature early. But, the average is 18-24 weeks old. First, your pullet will develope a red face (combs and wattles will turn red and grow). Then you will notice that they will squat when you go to pet them, or when a rooster approaches them. Then you will notice that they will mess around in the nest boxes. When they go to lay their eggs, they will "sing" the egg song. You can google egg song and hear it on utube. What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[ButchGood]

My girls will be 20 weeks on Monday. A little over half of the 13 hens I have are turning red. None seem very interested in the laying boxes or the nest eggs Ive placed in them. No egg songs, no squatting, although some are letting the roosters mate. Ive been on a staycation this week and have 8 more days before I go back to work. I'm hoping 1 of the young ladies is nice enough to give me an egg before then.

 

[AndyCap]

I have been watching for a while and thought it was time to join in.

i have my first chickens, four pekin bantams pullets, 4-5 months old. One has a noticeably redder comb and wattles. No eggs yet. Cant wait!