Need some barred rock advice

[Blackjack1392]

So far they have been penned in for 5 days and I still didn't get any eggs :/ So I let them back out today to free range. Do you guys think I should keep them in the pen for another week or so again to see if they start laying? Or should I just let them free range as I usually do and see what happens?

 

[CGChickMama]

I would just let them free range and just keep them in their pen a little later in the morning if your worried about them possiy layong elsewhere. They are probably close to laying. Not everybody will lay at 18 weeks. Give them time.

 

[Blackjack1392]

So Friday I got my first egg! And I got my second one today. As excited as I am, I have a few questions. The first is, if BR's are suppose to lay large brown eggs, why are the two that I got smaller than the store bought white egg in the picture? And second, the first egg I got was completely brown, but the second one I got was brown with white spots everywhere. What would make that happen, and is there something I should do? Here's the eggs:

top: second egg received, notice the white spots everywhere?
middle: first egg I got, considerably smaller, but all the way brown
bottom: Store bought white egg

 

[Fred's Hens]

When a pullet begins laying, she lays what is called a pullet egg. It takes some birds a long, long time to lay a larger egg, and sometimes, they won't until after their first moult at 18 months. Their second "season" often sees the eggs reduce in number a bit, but the size increase makes up for it.

 

[Blackjack1392]

Ok so the size part is normal, but what about the brownish-whitish color of the second egg I got?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Normal. No two birds in a flock of 10 hens will lay eggs precisely the same in tinting.

 

[Blackjack1392]

But im 99% sure that both eggs came from the same chicken as they are the only 2 I have gotten and came 2 days apart.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Still normal. The ink jets just don't always apply the precise spray job each and every time.

 

[Blackjack1392]

Well that's good to know. I thought it might have been a dietary problem or something lol Thanks for the help