First egg is here - normal?

[ladyhand]

So my Sunny girl has officially become a hen with her first egg. She laid in her nesting box for quite awhile this morning, but then laid the egg in the middle of the coop. It was broken, not on the bottom of where I would understand if it hit the floor too hard, but on the top. I’m worried she isn’t eating the oyster shell I’ve put out
Also, she has what looks like maybe some white fluid that ran from her vent down her backside. Is this normal?

Do colors of the egg change with her maturity? I believe sapphire gems are supposed to have brown eggs.

otherwise, yay for my sunny!

 

[Chicken poppy]

So my Sunny girl has officially become a hen with her first egg. She laid in her nesting box for quite awhile this morning, but then laid the egg in the middle of the coop. It was broken, not on the bottom of where I would understand if it hit the floor too hard, but on the top. I’m worried she isn’t eating the oyster shell I’ve put out
Also, she has what looks like maybe some white fluid that ran from her vent down her backside. Is this normal?

Do colors of the egg change with her maturity? I believe sapphire gems are supposed to have brown eggs.

otherwise, yay for my sunny!

I wouldnt worry to much, hens that are excited/neverous (laying her first egg/scared) produce bad quality eggs, im sure she was just excited and she might have made a mishap, cracking it or something, if it progresses then it would start to be a bit of a problem. Congratulations for sunny!

some sapphire eggs are pale. Some are dark, tell me if the color changes, it shouldnt though, should just stay the same for a while

 

[aart]

has officially become a hen with her first egg

Not a hen until one year old

FYI-PSA.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
ale chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

It was broken, not on the bottom of where I would understand if it hit the floor too hard,

The fatter end of the egg comes out first.
Shell looks mighty thin, so that could be why it broke.

 

[Ryguy3684]

It's fairly common for a pullet to work through a few "odd" eggs in the beginning. I've had a couple lay soft shell, deformed, or thin shelled eggs. Some are perfect from the beginning, but others, not so much. I wouldn't worry unless it happens consistently, once she starts laying regularly. @aart was correct, the shell looks thin, so it wasn't hard to get cracked.

 

[Mellowmalt]

my first egg was covered in blood this week, must have been quite a strain for her, she's a little bit smaller than the rest and laid a full sized egg first time round.
Little trooper, still doing fine.

 

[NatJ]

So my Sunny girl has officially become a hen with her first egg.

Not with chickens. She's still a pullet until she turns 1 year old.

(Yes, cattle and horses and other mammals get the "adult" term when they have their first baby, but chickens are different-- maybe so we don't have to decide whether to count first egg or first chick.)

 

[ladyhand]

Thank you! I thought I read somewhere that they were a pullet until their first egg... oh well.

Thank you! I'm hoping that the shell works itself out. They have oyster shell available but I don't think they eat much, if any of it.

 

[Ryguy3684]

Thank you! I thought I read somewhere that they were a pullet until their first egg... oh well.

Thank you! I'm hoping that the shell works itself out. They have oyster shell available but I don't think they eat much, if any of it.

Mine don't start regularly eating oyster shell until they are laying regularly. The younger ones kind of peck at it, but they don't eat much. Since I have roosters, I use flocker raiser, so the oyster shell is their main source of calcium. Give them time. As long as it's available, their good at knowing what they need.

 

[aart]

They have oyster shell available but I don't think they eat much, if any of it.

Might want to sprinkle some around the ground with some scratch grains.

 

[ladyhand]

Might want to sprinkle some around the ground with some scratch grains.

I will try that!

I have TWO perfect eggs today. One of my other ladies started laying today. She was in the nesting box for awhile and I didn't think she had done anything because before she left she was pulling straw and stuff out of it and was pretty quiet the entire time she was there. I can't believe how big they've gotten in 17 weeks! I'm bursting with happiness and pride, and everyone in my life is laughing at me because of it lol...