I need to be patient, but ... UPDATED: 3 (!!!!) Eggs on the First Day!

[ChestnutRidge]

Very cool! What color eggs are you getting?

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Still no eggs!

It's been 23 weeks!!!!! I have 3 EEs, 1 SS, and 1 Welsummer - all 23 weeks old this past Saturday, and not ONE egg. They have a stack of nest boxes (which maybe are too small?), and as of this weekend, a deep kitty litter pan and access to oyster shell. There is fluff in the nest boxes and a wooden egg in one (long story - the Amazon ad said package of 8 but only one came... ordered more.)

So, it is a biological necessity that they lay eggs, right? I mean, they can't not lay just because they don't like their options, can they? Also, there are no adult hens to teach them what to do. Should I be, like, setting them in the nest boxes or something?

Here's an older picture with the main boxes. They are all filled with fluff with a bit of DE now. Now there is a deep (maybe 8") kitty litter pan set on the floor to the left of the green stack of "boxes" with more fluff and a fake egg.

Help!

 

[goldies99]

did you switch them over to laying feed??...i started mine on laying pellets at 18 weeks

 

[farmerChef]

Is your SS a rooster? In the picture the tail feathers look pointy.
Your EE hens are very pretty.

Thier bodies might be fighting over weither to molt or to start laying. I have some 5 month old pullets and some are laying and some are not. It looks like the ones that aren't laying are molting. I even had a few stop laying after just a few weeks. I went from getting as many as 11 eggs (counting with older hens) to maybe 2-3.

EEs are notorious for being late layers. IDK about welsummers and SSs.

 

[Happy Chooks]

You won't be getting any eggs from the bird in the middle of the picture - because he's a rooster.

24 weeks is still young, you'll get eggs. I'm still waiting on 3 to start laying that are almost 30 weeks old. It's actually better for their bodies to lay later.

 

[rngrbill]

I only have 2 out of five that have started laying and they are incosistant, i.e. the are skipping days. Have only been laying for about 2 weeks now. Their age is questionable. I got them from my DW's cousin who runs a petting farm. As soon as they are old enough they go to the barnyard. He said with an affirmative voice they are 20 weeks old. His father (the real expert) said more like 16 - 21 weeks when I picked them up a month ago. Expecting more soon. I figure my 2 NHR will starting laying within a day or two of eachother as their size is the same I think

from the same clutch.

.

Oh! do they lay at night? This 25 hour thing does it chase around the whole clock?

 

[DebbieDee]

Yes I would say any time....

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I finally got an egg! It's small, green, and perfect! Thank you all for trying to help me be patient.

It's green (of course the color is washed-out in the picture), so it must be from one of the EE girls.

YAY!

(And, yes, Lazzie is definitely a rooster. I was just showing you the next boxes.

) I have an SS pullet as well who is not in the picture.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Quote:
Wow - 30 weeks! That's true. Hopefully they will be healthy and grown enough to be safe. Thanks for putting it in perspective.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I have 3 !!!!three!!! eggs now, all in one day, all light green from the Easter Eggers, so I presume that all three of them are laying now.

We had the two first eggs for dinner - just look at those yolks compared to the "natural" grocery store eggs!

That is what I was waiting for. And the taste was so much richer and more flavorful!!! I just feel like celebrating.

Here is the third egg of the day...

And here is one of the girls who probably laid today...