Found an egg! Laying feed for all?

[snkjohnson]

I am new to raising chickens, but so far (thanks in large part to this wonderful website) so good! I was so excited to find two small eggs in my laying boxes this morning. I think they are both from the same chicken. My question is, and hopefully it is not too dumb, should I switch all my hens to laying feed, even though only one is laying? Or should I wait until they all start laying? I've considered doing half and half (laying and starter feed) until they all start laying..? Any help would be appreciated!

Oh, and also, should I wait until the eggs get larger to start eating them?

Thanks for any/all your help!

 

[Araucana16]

Yes, I would switch them all. Since they were all raised together, it can be assumed (though this doesn't always happen) that they will mature and have eggs around the same time.

 

[Jordi15]

Personally I like your half and half idea... And you can eat the pullet eggs. I believe you wait for them to get bigger when you want to hatch them.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If your birds are all about the same age then they should all be near to laying so mixing layer feed half and half with the old feed until it's all gone is a good idea. I think it's a near certainty you have two birds laying already.

 

[snkjohnson]

Thanks for the quick responses!!

 

[tadpole98]

I would keep feeding chick starter until the majority are laying. Some even feed chick starter for their whole lives (I don't, but some others do). Also, go right on ahead and start eating them! If these eggs are fart eggs (the size of a nickel), you can still eat them but don't be scared away by the tiny yolk and such.. I don't know why but the insides of fart eggs always gross me out a little.

Hopefully today you will get a normal sized egg! You might not get another egg for a week or two because when they first start out they take breaks. But a lot just start laying and don't look back!

 

[SobbaChickens]

.... fart eggs...

what in the world is a fart egg.....

 

[tadpole98]

Quote:

.... fart eggs...

what in the world is a fart egg.....

Fart egg- AKA wind egg, dwarf egg, and a few other names I forgot.

any ways a fart egg is a really tiny egg about the size of a nickel. it usually comes out in new layers beside a normal sized egg. So a chicken can lay two eggs at once! hahaha sadly the second egg is a bit too small to eat.

 

[SobbaChickens]

Wow I haven't read anything about that. Glad I saw this thread lol Thanks!

 

[tadpole98]

Haha you will know a fart egg when you see it!