First Egg Countdown!!

[PrairieK]

I've been checking the boxes 3 times a day for the past 4 weeks!!! Lol

 

[nab58]

It's torture, isn't it?

 

[PrairieK]

Beyond!!! When I just went check on the girls one of my EE's kept squatting in front of me. Hopefully SOOON!!!!!

 

[regcal966]

The waiting is horrible. Mine have started squatting and I'm hoping it happens soon. If I don't have eggs by 21 weeks I think I'll be going crazy! Mine are 18 weeks now.

 

[smccuen]

Two eggs again today - that's twice this week so I think I'll be getting at least two regularly now. Wondering when the third hen will join in. And they are such pretty brown eggs with thick shells.

 

[chickenfever417]

These pics were taken 10 days apart...the top pic is in the coop 10 days ago and lighting is lower making the red brighter todays pic was taken in the run with cloud cover...

but notice how much her woddles and comb have grown!!!!! No squatting yet. Lots of chatter

anyone want to bet on when she will lay????? I say by Friday. My daughter who is 6 years old thinks by next Tue HA!!!!! My luck it will be a month from now!!!!!


below was taken 10 days ago 7/06/13

This is today 7/16/13

 

[Pat H]

Have 2 EE's and 2 Barred Rocks. Just got my 1st egg on Sunday, from an EE who was exactly 19 weeks old. Got a 2nd egg today (2 days later), from one of the EE's but don't know which one. I suspect just one is laying. The Barred Rocks are bigger and their faces are red, so I thought they'd go first. Expecting green eggs and brown eggs makes it a little easier to tell who is doing what!

 

[chickenfever417]

Have 2 EE's and 2 Barred Rocks. Just got my 1st egg on Sunday, from an EE who was exactly 19 weeks old. Got a 2nd egg today (2 days later), from one of the EE's but don't know which one. I suspect just one is laying. The Barred Rocks are bigger and their faces are red, so I thought they'd go first. Expecting green eggs and brown eggs makes it a little easier to tell who is doing what!

this is interesting...I have been waiting on the hen I posted a pic of earlier, because of the color of her head, but maybe it will be another he that lays before her....good to know.

 

[Joan71]

I was watching my girls for signs that they were going to lay and I missed some of the signs. I noticed their cones and wattles had grown more and turned red. In fact, the first day I noticed the bright red, I thought they had been fighting and it was blood. Silly me. I changed their feed to layer feed on Sunday and to my surprise tonight when I went to clean their coop and area, there was a brown egg laying in the corner. Called my family next door to come see. Everyone came to look and my grandson found two more brown eggs. Our first. My hens are about 24 to 25 weeks. I think changing them to the laying feed brought results. When I was cleaning the coop, I found traces for eggs with very thin shells. The brown ones I found were perfect and my grandson ate them for his supper. He has waited so long for the egg event.

Someone tell me about the "egg song". My daughter said she heard them making a different sound than before and she wondered if they were trying to tell her something. They have been very vocal for the last several days. We have had rain here in SC for the last two weeks. So I have not stayed with them as much because it would start to rain as soon as I let them out.

I grew up on a farm, we had hens and chicks, but they stayed at the barn. We played with the chicks, but I didn't know much about them until I undertook this project with my grandson. He wanted to raise some chicks and wait to get some eggs. We have watched them, they have gotten where they try to follow him home when he goes out the back gate home.

Raising them as pets instead of poultry makes a difference. They have their own personalities. We have a strong, gentle leader, two middle ones and then there is Henny. She was the runt of the group and it took a while before she started challenging the others when they pecked her. She is the curious one, wants to wander off and explore. Come quickly back to me when I call her.
I will post photos of hens and eggs soon. My daughter has the pics. Enjoy your birds.

 

[annav410]

Have 2 EE's and 2 Barred Rocks. Just got my 1st egg on Sunday, from an EE who was exactly 19 weeks old. Got a 2nd egg today (2 days later), from one of the EE's but don't know which one. I suspect just one is laying. The Barred Rocks are bigger and their faces are red, so I thought they'd go first. Expecting green eggs and brown eggs makes it a little easier to tell who is doing what!

Congrats! And I agree, you will have a better chance knowing who is laying.