From tool shed to Coop?

[Baumshell28]

Going really well. My 12 girls just turned 18 weeks old on Sunday, 2 of them also gave me my first eggs that day! Second night in the coop, an owl managed to put a finger sized hole in the mesh that covers the human size coop door. The chicks were small and locked exclusively in the coop; I did not grant them run access for a week after moving from brooder to their outdoor home.

Their pop door is always open giving them 24/7 access to wherever they are most comfortable, be it the coop or the run. Very early on, they decided that the kumquat tree within their run is where they prefer to roost at night! I check the perimeter & run “roofing” daily and haven’t found any weak spots or places that have been tampered with. I do have a white tailed kite family close enough that I often see them watching the chickens and doing fly bys. There is also a fairly large red tailed hawk that occasionally sits on my fence & terrorizes the girls before going off to find more readily available food.

 

[TexasWineGuy]

First eggs are a special occasion! Congrats!


TWG

 

[jthornton]

My 12 girls just turned 18 weeks old on Sunday, 2 of them also gave me my first eggs that day!

I call them the thousand dollar eggs... congrats

JT

 

[Baumshell28]

I call them the thousand dollar eggs... congrats

JT

Thank you! I was more excited than I thought I would be! But now I find myself with more questions, like: Who were those first 2 egg producers? Was it either of those that gave me egg#3 on day # 3, or did a third hen lay her first egg? They continually create new questions for me and make me consider installing a window a/c unit so I can camp out there with them and do 24/7 observation, Pahahaha!!

 

[jthornton]

They continually create new questions for me and make me consider installing a window a/c unit so I can camp out there with them and do 24/7 observation

Yeah Gonzales this time of year is brutal, I remember when we lived in LaPlace walking out to my truck in the morning to go to work and breaking out in a sweat before I could get the AC going in the truck... and mowing grass twice a week. At least the alligators kept the pests away.

I watch mine on cameras...


JT

 

[Baumshell28]

Yeah Gonzales this time of year is brutal, I remember when we lived in LaPlace walking out to my truck in the morning to go to work and breaking out in a sweat before I could get the AC going in the truck... and mowing grass twice a week. At least the alligators kept the pests away.

I watch mine on cameras...
View attachment 2298577

JT

Congrats on getting out of Louisiana, hahaha! Yes, the humidity is brutal! It can be 10-20 degrees cooler here than some other place, but that humidity makes it seem 10-20 degrees hotter...and harder to breathe that thicker air. I spent a lot of time around LaPlace/St James Parish, especially when I used to work on the ambulance for Acadian Amb. I still love to launch the kayaks at St James Boat Club to go fishing...or even just to go Gator Watchin’!

 

[TexasWineGuy]

Baum,

After looking at those first eggs again I'd be willing to suggest these were from 2 different hens. With regards my our hens, I can tell who laid the eggs by the shape of the eggs. The shape of our eggs are consistent with regards to who is laying them. As such, you have 2 distinctly different shaped eggs so, . . . .


YMMV.


TWG

 

[Baumshell28]

Baum,

After looking at those first eggs again I'd be willing to suggest these were from 2 different hens. With regards my our hens, I can tell who laid the eggs by the shape of the eggs. The shape of our eggs are consistent with regards to who is laying them. As such, you have 2 distinctly different shaped eggs so, . . . .


YMMV.


TWG

Yeah, I believe it had to be two different hens. I don’t think I would’ve realized that a hen would pretty much lay the same shape most of the time, like whatever hen laid the “torpedo” egg would continue to do so. I kinda chocked size & shape up to the fact that their bodies are adjusting to laying these first eggs. Anyways, I figured they were by different girls since they were both laid on the same day. Since then, I’ve gotten two more...two separate days. This first week, they seem to be on an “Every other day” type schedule. Hopefully I’ll have one or more to gather from the box once I get home in a bit.

 

[jthornton]

Not only the egg shape but size and location where it's laid (dropped actually) will be different. I can tell by location and size most of the time which hen laid the egg. At 3 years old the hens are like me non-changing.

JT

 

[Baumshell28]

Not only the egg shape but size and location where it's laid (dropped actually) will be different. I can tell by location and size most of the time which hen laid the egg. At 3 years old the hens are like me non-changing.

JT

I have 4 boxes in my coop. The old wooden box that is original to the coop and 3 plastic boxes I hung after moving them from brooder to coop. They only lay in the old wood box! I can tell by the dust, shavings & fake egg placement that not one of the 12 have even explored any of the 3 plastic boxes!!!