My Very First Egg!

[CatsCrazyCoop]

So, I am a Brooklyn, NY girl - born and bred.

Moved up to the country the end of 2004 - and here I am with a flock of chickens... I am dealing with all sorts of issues (pecking, wry neck) but I am really enjoying my girls so very much and learning so much as I go...

I found my first egg tonight!!! Now...
...the questions come

1) Do I need to clean it? It looks clean and the nesting box is clean with brand new pine shavings. My girls (7 of them) are about 22 weeks.
2) Will the rest of the girls soon follow suit now that the first egg was laid? Or is each gal individual?
3) What does broody mean?
4) The egg seems awful small - I think my Barred Rock (or maybe Dominique) laid it - although I am not positive... but I did see her in the nesting box -- will they get bigger?

 

[bustermommy]

I don't wash them unless they're dirty. The first egg is smaller than the rest will be. Each hen/pullet will lay when she's ready, not before, and not when her flock mate is ready (sigh--hints don't work, neither does calling the nonlayers slackers).

Broody means they stop laying and try to hatch their eggs instead by sitting on them all the time.

For our first egg, we cooked a grocery store egg and a backyard egg side by side, exactly the same way and then took a bite of one, then a bite of the other. Really makes you appreciate the difference.

 

[Newwell]

Congrats on the first egg. From all the postings I've read, you should NOT wash the eggs. There is a protective coating on them that keeps bacteria from being able to enter the egg. Egg shells are really porous.

 

[Lothiriel]

First off, congrats!!!

1) Do I need to clean it? It looks clean and the nesting box is clean with brand new pine shavings. My girls (7 of them) are about 22 weeks.
No, don't clean it. When a hen lays an egg, there is a special coating called the bloom that keeps bacteria out when it dries. If an egg is really dirty, try scrubbing it gently with a paper towel or get one of those special "egg scrubbers."

2) Will the rest of the girls soon follow suit now that the first egg was laid? Or is each gal individual?
They are about the right age to start soon, but each one is individual, yes. My 2 EEs are the same age. One has laid every day since 19 weeks, the other just laid her first today.

3) What does broody mean?
Broody is when a hen sits on eggs to hatch them.

4) The egg seems awful small - I think my Barred Rock (or maybe Dominique) laid it - although I am not positive... but I did see her in the nesting box -- will they get bigger?
Oh yes, they'll get bigger. The first ones are always small.

 

[NorthestGeorgia14]

Good. No you don't need to clean it broody mean a hen setting on a egg and only think you need to do is wait the hen will take care of the egg and when it hatch make sure you have a place for the mommy and the baby because the bigger hens will pick at it .

 

[ChestnutRidge]

I'm new to all of this, too, but I'll give your questions a shot. If I get anything wrong, I am sure that someone will help out.

1) Do I need to clean it? It looks clean and the nesting box is clean with brand new pine shavings. My girls (7 of them) are about 22 weeks.
No need to clean the eggs. They have a naturally protective coating called the "bloom." It is best to leave it intact. If there is poop, mud, etc., you can brush if off with a dry paper towel. If you need to wash an egg for some reason, use hot water because cold water is more likely to allow bacteria to enter the egg. You can also use an egg wash, a bit of bleach, or a bit of Oxine if you need to wash the eggs. But no need to wash a clean egg.
2) Will the rest of the girls soon follow suit now that the first egg was laid? Or is each gal individual?
Each girl is individual, but if the are the same age, same breed, from the same source then they will probably be on each other's heels. If you have different breeds, there can be weeks in between the girls' different points of lay.
3) What does broody mean?
"Broody" is a hormonal state which makes them want to settle down and have kids.

Some breeds will be broody almost constantly, some almost never, and others in between, but usually not until they are at least one year old. If a hen is broody, she will stay on the nest, perhaps even an empty nest, and be quite grumpy with you if you approach or try to move her. If she has fertilized eggs to sit on, she may sit and hatch out eggs. Some broodies make better mommas than others.
4) The egg seems awful small - I think my Barred Rock (or maybe Dominique) laid it - although I am not positive... but I did see her in the nesting box -- will they get bigger?
Yup, those are pullet eggs. I think they last about three weeks, from what I read (I am still in the pullet egg stage - my girls are laying in the 41-44 gram range), and then will increase to normal hen sized eggs.

Hope that helps.

And congratulations on your first egg!

 

[nickie]

For our first egg, we cooked a grocery store egg and a backyard egg side by side, exactly the same way and then took a bite of one, then a bite of the other. Really makes you appreciate the difference.

I did that too, hard boiled (for tuna salad). I couldn't believe it.​

 

[3chimama]

Great answers!! Just what I would of said and congrats on your first egg!!
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