So, my hens (two black australorps, one Rhode Island red and one buff orphington) are somewhere between 20 and 26 weeks. I'm not sure exactly because I got them from all different people starting mid May and no one seemed to know exactly how old they were. I thought that no one has started laying yet as there has been no squatting and their waddles and combs are just coming in. But yesterday, I found a large brown egg in a nest box - almost as large as a store bought extra-large. Is it possible that this is someone's first egg? My other hens laid tiny eggs at first. Or, are they laying somewhere I can't find the eggs? They free range in my backyard and I have searched for weeks now looking for eggs as someone should have started laying. My dog used to find the eggs from my old hens and bring them in. He hasn't brought anything in. Do people think I should confine the hens to their pen until eggs start appearing in the nest box? They should be laying soon.
