How long to work out the kinks?

[AinaWGSD]

Anyone know how long, on average, it takes a pullet to work out the kinks in their egg factory? After wondering if she was ever going to lay, my EE Merna finally laid her first egg last Sunday. And it was weird. And laid off the roost. I figured it was just a kink. Since then, she has laid one normal-ish (just a few pimply extra calcium deposits) egg in the nest box and just yesterday (I think, I found it this morning) one extremely thin-shelled egg on the floor of the coop. I'm not worried yet, since she just started laying. But I am wondering how long these odd eggs can go on for before I should start to be concerned that she may have more serious issues than just "new layer syndrome." She's my favorite, but if she doesn't manage to work out the kinks I'm afraid she'll have to go. I'd rather cull her sooner rather than wait for her to become ill from internal laying or some other reproductive malfunction.

 

[nivtup]

Most of ours hit the ground running, occasionally we get a pullet that struggles to get everything working in tandem. Usually clear sup in a couple of weeks.

Good luck!

 

[duckking]

I got 3 weird shell less eggs out of my Delaware and then finally! A small, but perfect egg. Whole process took about 2 weeks. She is laying pretty regularly now, but they are still on the smallish side. Still taste amazing!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Make sure she's getting plenty of calcium (if you don't want to do oyster shells or ground dried eggshells, mine LOVE cheese). And keep a fake egg in the laying box (we use colored plastic easter eggs). The kinks will work themselves out (usually). If not, you might consider culling her.

 

[AinaWGSD]

They have oyster shell free choice (most of the time, maybe she's been having some trouble getting to it with the snow on the ground this week?) and I do mix ground egg shells into their afternoon treat about once a week or so. If she doesn't get the kinks worked out I am afraid we will have to cull her, but I don't want to make that decision too soon. It's not a decision I plan on making for at least another month or two anyway. I was wondering, since the other 3 (or maybe 4, not sure) girls have laid perfectly normal eggs in the nest box right from the get go.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

A month or two will be more than enough time for her to work out those kinks.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I sure hope so. Got another odd one today, had a membrane around it, was cracked (although I'm not sure yet if it was because of a thin shell or due to freezing), and she laid it in the run

Out of the 4 eggs she's laid so far, only one has been what I would consider edible (although in all fairness the first one probably would have been if I hadn't washed it thoroughly in warm water).

 

[AinaWGSD]

It seems my Merna is finally getting things in working order. This week I've gotten 2 eggs from her, and both were pretty normal! One was in the nest box, and the one I found this morning was on the floor of the coop under the roost (thankfully I just added fresh shavings yesterday!). The one from this morning was pretty cold, so I'm not sure if she actually laid it from the roost last night or got down early early this morning and laid it (I opened up the coop at 6:30, I almost never find eggs before 7). Here's hoping this trend continues and our days of weird bloody eggs encased in strange leathery membranes are behind us now.