First eggs!

[redchickmama]

My RI has given us eggs!!! She's been louder than normal, running up to me every time she sees me, her comb has been enlarged and deep red in color. We have been waiting for eggs, my hens are just over 6 months old and Henrietta was the first to lay. My son spotted the eggs in the coop yesterday evening. We had 7!!! four small ones and 3 slightly bigger. Just curious when she could have laid them and approx. how many she can lay each day. I am hoping that my other two will lay soon, I have one other RI red and a barred rock.

 

[7littlegirls]

Congratulations on your eggs!! From what I know its 1 egg a day. Are you sure she is the only one laying?

 

[redchickmama]

I think she is the only one laying, all 7 eggs were in the same pile. Would each Hen lay in a different area or do they lay together? This is my first time with Hens.

 

[7littlegirls]

I know they will all lay in the same nesting box. So they might lay in the same pile. Lets see what others with more experience have to say.

 

[aart]

Congrats and Welcome to BYC!

I assume you check on the birds everyday?
Were the eggs in an easy to see place.... or were they maybe there for many days before you spotted them?

New layers can lay more than one in a day, usually only two, but one is usually softshelled.
Yes, they will generally all lay in the same place/nest.

 

[redchickmama]

I do check on them several times a day, the eggs were kind of hidden. They were hidden behind some straw and a piece of wood in their coop. All of them had nice hard shells. Only one hen has been acting different, one of the others started acting different yesterday. But when I went in to collect the eggs, only one hen followed me in and started yelling at me and running around. At least I now know where to check.

 

[aart]

Do you have nests set up for them?

New layers can be quite goofy acting, they don't know what they are doing at first and can be confused and anxious, it can take up to a month or so before they get it all figured out. Putting some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest might help show them where to lay. They may scratch around in the nests for weeks before laying, spreading the bedding everywhere. They will scratch around a bit less in nest as they get used to the routine. Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

Signs of onset of lay---I've found the pelvic points to be the most accurate.
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.
Tho I have found that the combs and wattles can look full and red one minute then pale back out the next due to exertion or excitement, can drive ya nuts when waiting for a pullet to lay!

2 bony points(pelvic bones) on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.