First Egg Stories?

[JewelBirds]

I just got my first egg yesterday from my 16 week old ISA brown Camillia. I walked in the coop yesterday morning and let everyone out in the run. Every chicken went except Camillia, who was lying in the corner of the coop where my blind chicken Blue and her buddies usually go to escape the older chickens when they're being especially mean (it's a large dog crate with some extra space, including the corner). At first I was scared she was sick, but then I realized she might be laying an egg.
So I went back to taking care of my goats and started filling water buckets, when I heard a loud sort of clucking and I ran over to the coop (sometimes one of the Leghorns will corner Blue and I have to help her). I had never heard the "egg song" before. I had thought it would be a softer noise lol but it's much louder and disturbing than the name. Because I had never heard it before I was worried but through a few videos I soon discovered the sound she was making and the universal egg song was one and the same.
Her first eggs shell was pretty thin, but inside it was normal. I feel very proud of her lol though my dad says "it's what chickens do, they lay eggs". Yet he is glad he'll have superior "fresh farm eggs" compared to store bought. Of course I took a few pictures of that one, and of her more normal looking one today. I was very excited to see the inside of her first egg normal, as I was apprehensive that it would somehow be different as her first egg.

Her first egg yesterday

Her second egg today

 

[omlet the chicken]

We had this gray shed that was pretty shallow and had some hay in the back behind this plastic container. My absolute FAVORITE hen named missy (barred Plymouth rock) just hopped into the shed and started sitting in the hay. I plopped down in the dirt, and sat there the entire time while she screeched and waited for her to hop out of the shed. In the last minutes my whole family came to sit outside the shed with me and wait till she was ready. As soon as she layed the egg we got it and ate it that morning. we didn't even have a chicken coop at that time! The chickens slept up in a tree with the rooster. We turned our sheep shack into a chicken coop and its still going strong five years on!

 

[omlet the chicken]

We actually just got our first egg from our red sex link about two weeks ago...
One night, I went to check on the chickens... made sure their coop was all closed up.. checked on the chickens and counted them.. and then I noticed that instead of perching on top of the nesting boxes (which for some reason they like to do..) Bertha, - my absolute favorite chicken - was sitting IN a nesting box.. which was odd... But I thought "maybe its cozier..?" and so I left and went to bed... The next morning, I go to check on them - do my morning routine... and they were fine - checked the nesting boxes... no egg.

Then, later that day, my curiosity was getting to me. I go out and check the chickens again - everything is normal. But then, I go to check the nesting boxes - AND THERES AN EGG. I was so excited I didn't even bother to grab it. I ran to my little Bertha and I was petting her and picking her up and cuddling her - all while practically screaming "IM SO PROUD OF YOU. YOURE A MOMMY" (even though we don't have a roo...) and after about 2 minutes of mauling her with affection, i let her be and gathered my family to come see her egg and take thousands of pictures.

The next day, I got out to their coop to check them a bit later than usual and noticed that i didn't see Bertha, so I check the nesting boxes and there she is. So I come out and wait patiently with the other chickens in their run, and then I hear her song. I was practically in tears. And then some of the others, run up to the coop and stick their heads in the door to see whats going on, and after a few minutes, she comes out and is back to normal.

It was such a great experience and I simply cannot wait until my other chickens start to lay. [/QUOTE
You need to get your chickens a roost (a perching wooden pole or large tree branch) to sleep up on. where do you think that chickens sleep in the wild? Up in trees. Chickens are just short, fat, helpful, stupid, flightless (ish) song birds. They need a place to sleep, eat, lay, poo, and dust bathe, but none in the same place.

 

[TomZilla43]

Today is the day! Seemed like it would never get here, it is a little on the small side(but actually larger than I had expected). I have 6 hens altogether, I'm hoping this is the start of a trend

 

[ShawnIGGYmama]

Don't hold your breath too long. I had a squatter at 16 weeks, at 20 weeks still no eggs.

Didn't have to wait too long! 1ST PULLET EGG! Laid the evening of the 20th!

 

[Dianes Divas]

I have been keeping my eye on my buff orpington the last few days...she has been sqawking loudly all day long so I knew something was going on. She has been a bit anti social since we got her a couple months ago due to being picked on a bit at first so I went out this morning to check for eggs in boxes and there it was! A little cream colored egg just as they said it would be.......right in the run downstairs She didn't use the nesting boxes upatairs! Sure hope she doesn't keep that up! Bless her

 

[LVVCHAP]

When my wife and I first got chickens we, like many others I'm sure, checked the coop several times a day as the time was near. I was out mowing grass and got an idea. Secretly I went into the house and took a store bought egg and placed it in one of the nesting boxes, then waited. It didn't long until she came running across the yard holding this egg high and yelling, "We got one!" It never dawned on her that we had Rhode Island Reds and it should have been brown. On that day I came as close as ever to wearing an egg, but it was worth the laugh.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

When my wife and I first got chickens we, like many others I'm sure, checked the coop several times a day as the time was near. I was out mowing grass and got an idea. Secretly I went into the house and took a store bought egg and placed it in one of the nesting boxes, then waited. It didn't long until she came running across the yard holding this egg high and yelling, "We got one!" It never dawned on her that we had Rhode Island Reds and it should have been brown. On that day I came as close as ever to wearing an egg, but it was worth the laugh.

That is hilarious!! HA!

 

[Flock In Texas]

I have 3 hens and a rooster. All are about 19 weeks old now. Bossy laid the first eggs. I found an egg on the ground under the tractor. Bossy was hovering over it as if to protect it from me. My wife posted the egg announcement on FB and I started looking for eggs in the nesting buckets. The next day, I looked into the nests and saw 7 more eggs. Bossy had been getting to work and I didn't even notice, even when I cleaned out the tractor. She has consistently laid about 6 eggs/week for the last 2 1/2 weeks.

A few days later, Agatha began laying green eggs. I was told that she was an Ameraucana, but apparently she is an Easter Egger. She has been laying about 6 eggs/week for the last 10 days or so.

Rosie is a Rhode Island Red and is bringing up the rear. Agatha left me an egg around lunchtime yesterday and Bossy left me an egg first thing this morning. Last night, when I was tucking the birds in for the night, I noticed an egg in a "poop tray" below their favorite roost. I grabbed it and there was no shell. Since I got an egg from both of the other chickens a few hours before and after finding the egg, I suspect this was Rosie's first attempt. Do chickens "misfire" on their first eggs sometimes? All birds have been eating feed supplemented with oyster shell. I think I will start crushing the egg shells and putting them in with their food as well.

 

[Nikki A]

About 30 minutes ago I JUST GOT MY FIRST EGG!!! It's a beautiful pale blue, so I know it's from one of my two Cream Legbars - either "Noodle" or "Beaker". We are new to chickens and have had four 22 week-old started pullets for a couple of weeks along with two year-old Cream Legbars. I was out talking to them and working on getting them used to being handled while bribing them with treats. Meanwhile my hubby checked the nesting boxes... We haven't had any eggs, so I wasn't paying much attention and was busy baby-talking to my girls and petting them. As soon as I turned around and saw his face (he KNEW I would be elated) I accidentally fell back on my butt while squeaky gleefully like a kid. I didn't care if I was in a pile of poo. There it was in his right hand - a beautiful, large, and perfect pale blue egg. I of course got my picture made with it at the coop like I just won a first place trophy!!!!