First Eggs!!

[byounghusband]

Well,
The girls are finally coming through with their end of the agreement!! We have 10 hens of various breeds and two roosters, one Barred Rock and one EE.
Currently I don't have nesting boxes in the coop yet. They will be here Saturday, but non-the-less, the girls are producing.
I was working on another project around the property (never ending....) and when I moved some pallets back to where they were stored, I discovered an even dozen sitting on the ground. I don't have any idea how long they have been there. So no idea which or how many hens are laying just yet.
It does appear that the roosters are getting a few shots past the goalie, as one of the two eggs we cracked had the tell-tale "bulls-eye" in the yolk.
Pretty eventful day, as right after I brought the eggs in the house, our 8 1/2 month old grand daughter walked across the kitchen with the assist of her walker toy, using it to balance her up.

 

[MillersFarm]

Con-grats! I always get excited when my hens first start to lay. I love egg colors and would die for a olive egger one day. Those are some dark eggs you got there! All look pretty nice as well.

 

[byounghusband]

Yup, very excited!! They all were small, but that is to be expected.... They are just transitioning to layer feed now, so they will be bigger soon.
Gonna have to keep 'em in the coop for a few days once I get the nesting boxes in, so they stop laying around our 3 acres...

Con-grats! I always get excited when my hens first start to lay. I love egg colors and would die for a olive egger one day. Those are some dark eggs you got there! All look pretty nice as well.

 

[apryl29]

They are so sneaky! I had a couple of mine laying in a box, then as I was cleaning I found 5 eggs behind the trash can I use to store their feed. I was so excited... until that is, ALL of them decided that behind the feed bin was exactly the perfect place to lay their eggs! I stuck a pre-made box I got from Tractor Supply back there & right now I have 5 ladies all laying in there. I've tried to enclose my actual boxes a little to see if they'll start using them.. no luck yet, but I'm thinking maybe putting curtains over them will help. I even had one lay her egg in the middle of the floor, and still another lay right out in the run! I guess it doesn't matter as long as they're in one piece.

 

[byounghusband]

Thanks for giving me some more places to look for eggs... That will help. It's Easter every day, huh?

They are so sneaky! I had a couple of mine laying in a box, then as I was cleaning I found 5 eggs behind the trash can I use to store their feed. I was so excited... until that is, ALL of them decided that behind the feed bin was exactly the perfect place to lay their eggs! I stuck a pre-made box I got from Tractor Supply back there & right now I have 5 ladies all laying in there. I've tried to enclose my actual boxes a little to see if they'll start using them.. no luck yet, but I'm thinking maybe putting curtains over them will help. I even had one lay her egg in the middle of the floor, and still another lay right out in the run! I guess it doesn't matter as long as they're in one piece.

 

[Wendy75309]

How old are they when they start laying egg's?

 

[apryl29]

How old are they when they start laying egg's?

It varies. My first couple (amber browns from tractor supply) that I bought March 3rd (not sure of birth date) of this year laid their first egg 6/27, so about 17 weeks-ish. Then I have to Tertra browns that were born Feb 27 that started laying about the same time as the Ambers. My bantam I bought the same day, but I believe was at least a week older, laid her first egg this past Saturday, about 22-23 weeks-ish. I have 3 others born 3/13, and 4 eggers born 3/27 that have not laid yet at all.
I was told by a coworker who raised chickens for years that it's about 20 weeks... give or take.

 

[apryl29]

Thanks for giving me some more places to look for eggs... That will help. It's Easter every day, huh?

Yes! I keep checking out behind the coop to see if someone may have laid their eggs under it though my bantam is the only one small enough to get under it.. We also have a small porch on the side of the coop and I check under there too, just in case.

 

[byounghusband]

Mine are 20 weeks today... Right on schedule!!

How old are they when they start laying egg's?

 

[apryl29]

OH! I just saw this article on the main page about this... https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chickens-getting-ready-to-lay.72752/