First eggs and a couple questions

[tikidoc]

We have a mixed flock that consists of EEs, Delawares, Buff Orpingtons, Golden Polish, and Buff Brahmas. They were all 19 weeks yesterday. We just got our first eggs this week from one of our EEs. The EEs, Delawares and Orps are mostly squatting and have red wattles and combs, and have for a little while.

So my questions relate to when to expect the others to start laying. I am pretty sure the first 3 eggs all come from the same hen (she is the only one who's pelvic bones have spread). Should I expect the other EEs to start soon, or could it still be quite a while? Do pullets from the same "batch" and breed tend to start laying around the same time?

I know the Brahmas are going to be a while as they are supposed to be slow maturing. I have read that Orps and Delawares are fairly early to mature, and given how they are looking and acting, I expect them to be relatively soon. What about the Polish?

Oh, and here is the obligatory picture. They sure are cute little eggs, 36 grams each (just over an ounce). My 7 year old thought they were the best tasting eggs ever.

 

[BradyMSU]

I got my first eggs today. There were two in the coop this morning. It have five Plymouth Barred Rocks. They are 20 weeks, 6 days old.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

QUestion to you both. Did your hens lay their first eggs in the nest box? And were they in the run/hen house area or were you free ranging and they went back in to the boxes on their own?

 

[redoak]

congrats on your first eggs. My hens started laying about a week after they first started to squat. My hens all came from the same batch and are buff orpingtons, the first started to lay at 18 weeks 5 days and the last of the 6 who is 24 weeks old hasn't started yet.

 

[tikidoc]

Quote:
We have a stall in the barn that functions as a hen house. There is a hole in the wall that opens to a fenced field (which also has goats and cows), so they have access to the outside. The hole is closed at night to keep out predators. The nest boxes are in the stall, and the hen (only one laying so far) laid all 3 eggs in the nest boxes (but she does not seem to have a favorite box).

 

[cmom]

I want to congratulate you on your first eggs. My first layer was 17 weeks, and the last to lay from the same hatch was 27 weeks.