first eggs ... questions, please

[jrabbit]

We have 2 hens + 7 chicks which we are raising for a friend (we plan to keep 2-3, just hoping they are all girls)

Is there any reason not to eat the first eggs?

Our coop has a fully enclosed run that is about 4x12' and a roosting house that is about 4x6'. They free range most of the time, in addition - but there are days when they stay in the run.

We put hay on the floor of the roosting house and gave them two milk crates for nests. They have now formed nests next to one of those crates - that's where we found the first eggs. I'm inclined to remove the crates. Good idea or bad?

We purchased 3 "hens" in February. Speckles (ameraucana) turned out to be a rooster, and we gave him away on Sunday. Esther (cochin) laid her second egg today!! Apparently, she is a bantam. Sigh. Now, we are one hen short and half the eggs will be smaller than we expected. (our third chicken is a silkie ameraucana)

This is not what we were wanting when we started this adventure. We are hoping to buy 1-2 laying hens next week to join the flock.

thanks
--janis,etc

 

[gritsar]

Congrats on your first eggs. Yes you can eat them.
If you want them to lay in the milk crates (which is preferable to prevent breakage, etc., try putting some golf balls or fake eggs in the milk crates.
The eggs will be small to start and get bigger as the girls get more mature. However, bantam eggs tend to be small anyhow.