First Egg!!!

[Lexiluke]

So, I just got home after a long 14 hour day at work to find my first bourbon red egg. I have 4 hens and a tom that are now 9 months old. They have been mating for about a month. I am hoping that the other 3 hens will start soon. If I have this right, I need to wait a couple weeks after they all start laying before collecting eggs for the incubator. Do I have this right? Thanks in advance.

 

[beanmcnulty]

You dont need to wait to collect eggs, if they have been mating for at least a week I would say they would be fertile; holy moly those eggs are valuable, hatch or sell them all! Last year was my first year with mine and what I did was collect for incubation when they were laying willy nilly in different spots and then once they decided on a spot, I just moved the whole nest to a large dog house where they finished their clutch and set after a few weeks. I had 2 hens and collected/incubated about 12 eggs (for 8 poults) and they hatched out 14 babies themselves, there were quite a few duds in the nest but we had a cold snap while they were still laying.

 

[beanmcnulty]

My first eggs yesterday too (my precioussss)! One silly hen laid one in the water bowl and it froze overnight, not sure if it was there when I found these, I might have just missed it

 

[nickie]

I am so envious. I'm still waiting for my first eggs from hens in their first spring. Three of the five are allowing the toms to mate them, but still nothing. *sigh* the wait continues.

 

[beanmcnulty]

Hang in there, any day now

It's such a bummer they make us wait so long, my husband was like well what have they been doing all this time, eating and pooping? I was like yeah pretty much. Freeloaders.

 

[nickie]

The waiting is killing me! My Mallard mix ducks have been laying for 2 months now and the other ducks who are much less seasonal in their laying have been going strong since Jan. 5. I'm getting so antsy waiting, I don't remember the egg watch being this nerve wracking with any of my other birds.

Since this is my first year with hens of laying age would you all mind informing me of some of the things I need to keep in mind while I wait? For example: chickens lay almost every day throughout the day depending on the birds specific lay cycle, ducks lay before the sun comes up every day unless they are taking a rare day off or setting. What should I expect with these ladies?

 

[beanmcnulty]

I would say they are more like chickens, about an egg a day, as to when it pops out, I'm not too sure, I just usually do one evening hunt and find them. I am pretty inexperienced myself, I had hens lay last spring for about a month and they set and were done for the year. And none were laid in the fall from the one that didnt get eaten by the fox

 

[Lexiluke]

I am glad others are in the beginning stage with me. I am certainly hoping that my other hens start laying soon. Is it true that you can collect turkey eggs for 15 days before setting in the incubator? I hope so, that way I can put more in there. I would hate to wait too long though. Congrats to those getting the eggs and hang in if not. My hens were mating for about a month before I got the first egg.

 

[beanmcnulty]

Yup 2 weeks collecting should be fine, I will probably do ~10 days and then let them do their own thing (put their eggs out in an approved nest).

 

[Lexiluke]

Another hen joined in today and I got 2 eggs! Hopefully, I can get 10-12 to put in the incubator!