My barred rock laid her first egg (we think) 2 days ago and now nothing!!

[Lan5984]

My barred rocks are 18 weeks, "Kevin" (yes i know odd name for a hen but my kids named her) laid her first egg in my porch decoration on a pile of pine cones 2 days ago! We have 4 barred rock...3 are definite Hens and 1 questionable Hen/Rooster. 3 Light brahmas (1 rooster-2 hens), 2 golden lace that are 12 weeks, 2 production red that are 12 weeks, 3 bantams, and 2 turkeys that are also 12 weeks. She went back to the pine cones yesterday but no egg...we looked all over the yard, under their favorite hydrangea's, in the coop, all over and no more eggs. I did look in the coop yesterday morning and do see signs of yolk, there are little hard streaks of orange with egg shell in it...so i am not sure if the egg dropped and fell or they pecked it apart and ate it...we don't know "who" laid they egg or "who" ate the egg. They are yet to lay in the nesting boxes.
Is it normal for them to lay an egg then wait a few days?
How do we get them to use the nesting boxes (we have cool nesting boxes that roll their eggs into a protective box so there is no eating them or sitting on them)?

 

[igorsMistress]

It’s normal for the girls to have some hiccups when first getting started. They’ll possibly be inconsistent for a short time before all the works get going.

You can try fake eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes. Some may not ever lay there, so don’t feel bad if you have some that make a nest in a corner and use that instead.

Chickens actually squat to lay their egg. The most popular nest boxes I’ve had are large plastic bins. My girls fight over them whereas other boxes were shunned in favor of nests in the corner of the coop. Here’s a video of how a chicken lays an egg

 

[Lan5984]

This is "Kevin" (I call her Mable) showing us her egg the other day today is coop cleaning day so I can give it a good once over to see if there are some eggs in there somewhere. I am concerned about the yolk I saw in front of the nesting boxes...I guess there is the possibility someone laid it from high up (they perch about 4 feet above the floor) so i guess it could have broken and they ate it versus pecking it open and eating it... fingers crossed!!

 

[Sable]

It’s normal for the girls to have some hiccups when first getting started. They’ll possibly be inconsistent for a short time before all the works get going.

You can try fake eggs or golf balls in the nest boxes. Some may not ever lay there, so don’t feel bad if you have some that make a nest in a corner and use that instead.

Chickens actually squat to lay their egg. The most popular nest boxes I’ve had are large plastic bins. My girls fight over them whereas other boxes were shunned in favor of nests in the corner of the coop. Here’s a video of how a chicken lays an egg

Thanks for the video I just got pullets in March waiting for my first eggs

 

[igorsMistress]

Thanks for the video I just got pullets in March waiting for my first eggs

It won’t be long now!