First egg difficult?

[jonezjollyfarm]

Is the first egg hard for some pullets to lay?

 

[cliff777]

never heard of this....

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

I caught a first time layer straining and I could see the egg so scooped her up and ran inside. I rubbed warm water on the area and the egg came right out. She was 100% normal before. I caught her in the nesting box last night playing around so I knew she was just about ready to lay. Then this afternoon she came out and squawked like she had laid but nothing. After I got her back outside she layed on the ground for a bit and had a slow start getting back up but she is moving about grazing and is actually taking a dust bath right now. Was she egg bound? All my other laying pullets have been laying fine as far as I know. Should I be concerned this will happen every time she tries to lay an egg?

 

[aart]

You probably should have just let her be, she probably would have gotten it out on her own just fine....you just happened to see it as it was coming out and moving her like that could well have stressed her out.

Just be patient and calmly observant without interfering and you will learn what their behaviors are when laying.
Tho it can disturb them if you don't have a place to watch that is unobtrusive and they are not used to you being in the coop a lot.

Yes, sometimes they have a bit of trouble with the first few eggs, I watched one of my pullets lay her first few eggs and she gave quite a squawk a couple times.

They also will get in the nest and sit for a while but not lay, even some of my older hens do that.

New layers can be quite goofy acting, they don't know what they are doing at first and can be confused and anxious, it can take up to a month or so before they get it all figured out. Putting some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest might help show them where to lay. They may scratch around in the nests for weeks before laying. Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

Well she seemed to be struggling and she was out in the run not the nesting box. The other chickens were pecking g at the egg and I'm sure I over reacted a little bit. But she is fine today out and about with the other girls. I spend entirely to much time with my chickens... I think it may be making me a little crazy!

 

[aart]

Well she seemed to be struggling and she was out in the run not the nesting box. The other chickens were pecking g at the egg and I'm sure I over reacted a little bit. But she is fine today out and about with the other girls. I spend entirely to much time with my chickens... I think it may be making me a little crazy!

Oh, well, if the other birds were pecking at her butt with an egg coming out, then yeah that requires some attention.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

I wait as long as I could to get involved. She's doing great today. Hopefully she'll wait a few days before she tries again.

 

[aart]

I wait as long as I could to get involved. She's doing great today. Hopefully she'll wait a few days before she tries again.

And hopefully she does her business in the nest where her butt is covered from curious flock mates.
Do you have some fake eggs/golf balls for 'bait' in the a couple of the nests?

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

She started in the box. I think she was frustrated and probably hot. I had some store bought eggs and plastic easter eggs. I took the plastic eggs out after a few started laying and the evicted the store bought eggs. Kept finding them on the floor of the coop. Ive got 8 and only 3 haven't laid yet so I'm hoping when the time comes one of the other girls has laid and they see those eggs in the boxes.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

Pretty sure she laid again this morning. In the nesting box this time.