Leghorns -19 weeks to first eggs

[RUNuts]

@AllenK RGV so you have your 5 originals pullets. A super stud rooster specially delivered and now have another 3 pullets and 2 cockerels coming? Getting a nice little flock coming together.

Anyone go broody yet? You might want to start setting aside fertilized eggs for when that happens.

 

[Kiki]

@KikisGirls and @aart

Have a question for you experts of chickenness. I got a fairy white egg a week ago on 2-15. Call it a very small egg. It was a mess inside, blob of yellow in white.

2-18 I get a white egg the size of a quarter under the roost.
2-23 Repeat on the quarter sized egg in the nest box.

1-31 was the last time I got 7 white eggs (leghorns)
2-24 get another 7 white eggs. Problem solved?

They are fairly regular at 6 eggs a day. I was thinking one had some issues, but everyone acting normal. Eating well. Active. When the weather snaps came on 2-19, we dropped down to 3 eggs, so no worries while watching everyone.

Today I found blood smears in the nest, but the eggs are all clean. Again concerned, no hens with obvious injuries or strange acting.

What else should I be looking for? Butt checks on the ones I caught showed no issues. But all white chicks look the same. I could go through the effort of corralling all and inspect as a group.

The 10 brown egg layers plodding along at 8 or 9 eggs a day this week.

@BantyChooks Might know...hers kinda smart.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I do not know.
Aart will have a good guess I am sure.

Best serious guess I can offer is potential prolapse. And yep that maes alot of butts to check after dark like now might be the easiest time to have a second look at the gals.

 

[AllenK RGV]

@AllenK RGV so you have your 5 originals pullets. A super stud rooster specially delivered and now have another 3 pullets and 2 cockerels coming? Getting a nice little flock coming together.

Anyone go broody yet? You might want to start setting aside fertilized eggs for when that happens.

Nope that super stud left me I tried rushing the integration assuming that might have made him settle down. Nope was my bad call and made it without consulting my elders. But yes adding 5 more as my roosts look so empty, plus fertile eggs are the only excuse I can use with my wife for buying $200 in incubating equipment. Yes I know they can be home built for next to nothing, but when I drop the 200 or so for my Malay eggs next spring I want equipment I can trust.

 

[BantyChooks]

@KikisGirls and @aart

Have a question for you experts of chickenness. I got a fairy white egg a week ago on 2-15. Call it a very small egg. It was a mess inside, blob of yellow in white.

2-18 I get a white egg the size of a quarter under the roost.
2-23 Repeat on the quarter sized egg in the nest box.

1-31 was the last time I got 7 white eggs (leghorns)
2-24 get another 7 white eggs. Problem solved?

They are fairly regular at 6 eggs a day. I was thinking one had some issues, but everyone acting normal. Eating well. Active. When the weather snaps came on 2-19, we dropped down to 3 eggs, so no worries while watching everyone.

Today I found blood smears in the nest, but the eggs are all clean. Again concerned, no hens with obvious injuries or strange acting.

What else should I be looking for? Butt checks on the ones I caught showed no issues. But all white chicks look the same. I could go through the effort of corralling all and inspect as a group.

The 10 brown egg layers plodding along at 8 or 9 eggs a day this week.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry any or do more than a usual cursory check.. Chooks do weird things, act funny, make us worried, and for no reason 95% of the time. I've had blood splats on/near the boxes more times than I can count and I rarely lose any birds. Sometimes little vessels can rupture in the cloaca and bleed a tad before stopping; that'd be my guess.

Same deal with the little eggs. Sometimes they just happen. If it keeps going with regularity then poking around more might be wise.

 

[aart]

@KikisGirls and @aart

Have a question for you experts of chickenness. I got a fairy white egg a week ago on 2-15. Call it a very small egg. It was a mess inside, blob of yellow in white.

2-18 I get a white egg the size of a quarter under the roost.
2-23 Repeat on the quarter sized egg in the nest box.

1-31 was the last time I got 7 white eggs (leghorns)
2-24 get another 7 white eggs. Problem solved?

They are fairly regular at 6 eggs a day. I was thinking one had some issues, but everyone acting normal. Eating well. Active. When the weather snaps came on 2-19, we dropped down to 3 eggs, so no worries while watching everyone.

Today I found blood smears in the nest, but the eggs are all clean. Again concerned, no hens with obvious injuries or strange acting.

What else should I be looking for? Butt checks on the ones I caught showed no issues. But all white chicks look the same. I could go through the effort of corralling all and inspect as a group.

The 10 brown egg layers plodding along at 8 or 9 eggs a day this week.

Blood in nest....first guess is comb injury, with no blood on eggs I wouldn't suspect a foot or vent injury. I see blood spots/smears around from time to time, often do not find the injury.

Were all 3 fairy eggs broken yolked...or just a meat spot in the 2 others?
Hard to say about those...could be glitches or one bird may have issues.
Leghorns are bred for high production and that can come with repro system issues.

 

[AllenK RGV]

@AllenK RGV so you have your 5 originals pullets. A super stud rooster specially delivered and now have another 3 pullets and 2 cockerels coming? Getting a nice little flock coming together.

Anyone go broody yet? You might want to start setting aside fertilized eggs for when that happens.

Regarding the broody I'm thinking that part is wrong about my(sumatra) breed. Not one has a care about the eggs. Today was supposed to be my big egg day but the chicken weren't into it due to(my guess) the 20mph sustained winds with gusts to 40 and only one nugget was delivered. It was funny watching the chicken walking backwards to avoid turning their backs into the wind was the first time I had ever seen them do that.

 

[RUNuts]

Haven't opened the 2 smaller eggs yet. Was waiting on the weekend and now I'm trying to get a garden started. Been busy. Need the ground to dry out. We have an outbreak of gnats or small flies in the flight cage today. Nasty. I was hoping to get another load of chips today. Dirt took all day.

We weren't windy today. Must have blown through last night. More rain tonight.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Haven't opened the 2 smaller eggs yet. Was waiting on the weekend and now I'm trying to get a garden started. Been busy. Need the ground to dry out. We have an outbreak of gnats or small flies in the flight cage today. Nasty. I was hoping to get another load of chips today. Dirt took all day.

We weren't windy today. Must have blown through last night. More rain tonight.

It was just the fact that we are sitting under that cold front coming in for us in about 36 hours, its going to stall there and probably be just as windy tomorrow as we send out sunshine and humidity to NE Texas for their enjoyment in the form of unending rain and later in the spring tornadoes for them to make videos of for the weather channels macabre house of weather horrors.

2 weeks ago most of these flood guauges were in the green, so remember to thank a Texan!

 

[RUNuts]

This morning was a surprise. 1 membrane yolk under the roost. A definite misfire. But she got it out of her system. Then another formed egg that was a papershell and crunched as I picked it up. Yes, oyster shell available. I'm guessing the cold snap or the rain threw off 2 hens. Both appeared to be brown, but the yolk is where the leghorns roost.

These went straight to the feed bucket and were immediately enjoyed.

Had a light misting earlier. Sun peaking now. And the blackbirds are here squawking up a storm. Saw the first Robins in the yard last week. Spring is here! And I didn't get the martin house installed, again this year. Fudgecicles.