I just got my 1st egg… what should I expect?

[Sbutler2006]

So excited that we got our first few eggs. Not sure who’s laying them, but what can I expect? An egg a day or an egg every few days?
What’s some treats I can feed them to reward them?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Depends on the individual bird. Some may take days, weeks, even months to ramp up to "normal" production (by normal I mean whatever is going to be the norm for her), whereas others jump right in and begin laying reliably from the start.

Treats are fine as long as you keep the amount moderate, or you can start affecting the quality of the eggs by diluting protein and calcium.

 

[Sbutler2006]

Depends on the individual bird. Some may take days, weeks, even months to ramp up to "normal" production (by normal I mean whatever is going to be the norm for her), whereas others jump right in and begin laying reliably from the start.

Treats are fine as long as you keep the amount moderate, or you can start affecting the quality of the eggs by diluting protein and calcium.

do they lay like one every once in a while? Im not even sure which one laid the egg. I have 3 that just squat when I push on them.

 

[CluckerFamily]

Do you have high production birds?
I only have Easter Eggers, which aren't high production birds. Pullets will lay close to an egg a day or an egg every other day. As they age, they will not lay as continuously but they will lay.

 

[Sbutler2006]

Do you have high production birds?
I only have Easter Eggers, which aren't high production birds. Pullets will lay close to an egg a day or an egg every other day. As they age, they will not lay as continuously but they will lay.

I have 2 Buff, 2 RIR, 1 Americauna, 2 Hybrid. The Buff and RIR are 18-20 weeks, the Americauna and 2 Hyrbrid are only 13 weeks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

do they lay like one every once in a while? Im not even sure which one laid the egg. I have 3 that just squat when I push on them.

None of mine are production birds but they're generally pretty good about laying reliably once they start, so even in the first few weeks of production I can expect 4 eggs a week. Once they're on a normal production schedule my layers usually produce about 5 eggs a week.

 

[PoultryCQ]

Their eggs would get larger over time. Usually my hens all lay about an egg a day, especially in they are under 2-3 years of age. My 5 year olds do not lay much at all. A few soft shelled eggs are also common in new layers. Make sure to leave ouster shells or egg shells always available.

 

[Sbutler2006]

Their eggs would get larger over time. Usually my hens all lay about an egg a day, especially in they are under 2-3 years of age. My 5 year olds do not lay much at all. A few soft shelled eggs are also common in new layers. Make sure to leave ouster shells or egg shells always available.

So far they’re shells have been hard and thick I’m pretty impressed. Does saving the shells and baking them then feeding them back help?

 

[PoultryCQ]

So far they’re shells have been hard and thick I’m pretty impressed. Does saving the shells and baking them then feeding them back help?

It helps a lot, chickens tend to like egg shells more than oyster shells. I always use egg shells with oyster shells

 

[Sbutler2006]

It helps a lot, chickens tend to like egg shells more than oyster shells. I always use egg shells with oyster shells

Awesome do I just put it in with their layer feed? Or toss it like I do scratch feed?