New to backyard chickens, egg laying help

[Flockincrazy]

This was them one month ago and now 2 of them have full red combs.

Those look like golden sexlinks they look just like mine

 

[ijatiyeh]

Those look like golden sexlinks they look just like mine

 

[ijatiyeh]

Love the pics! They look like mine as well. I got the layers to lay in their nesting area using fake eggs ...so far the newbies did well today ...eggs are still small but getting bigger

 

[trainman]

Many chickens when first starting to lay aren't sure where to lay them and it may come as a surprise so they may drop an egg wherever they happen to be. Sometimes they will lay them outside the coop or on the floor. They also may lay a soft shell egg until their body gets more mature and the process becomes better for them. Keeping oyster shell is needed for a laying flock to help form firmer shells. Do you have any plastic or wooden "nest eggs"? If not that's also a good way to show them where you want them.

Some breeds are different but these are early layers. I've had some breeds that are almost 6 months old before any eggs and some at the end of four months. I would also suggest you put them on layer feed.

Best of luck with your girls.

 

[Debby R]

Thanks for getting back to me! I was very nervous the fact there were 2 soft shelled eggs and only one of them looks ready. So this probably isn’t stress related? Also they are from tractor supply and I was almost 100% sure they were orpingtons. I will post a better photo maybe that’s why they look different.

First eggs are often "abnormal"; membrane-no shell, double yolk, no shell or membrane. It straightens itself out.

 

[ChickenTippinFarm]

Here are some of my Orpingtons (along with silkies, silver laced wyandottes, and some RIR's). I'd say your birds are an Cinnamon Queen , or some other kind of production red. Production birds do start laying much earlier than other birds. That soft pinkish egg is usually a first egg. (soft because there's not enough calcium). You can keep feeding out your bag of grower or since you have the roosters, switch to an all-flock and offer oyster shell for calcium. Also, if you have 2 hens and 2 roo's, the roo's will fight over the hens and hurt eachother, or end up hurting the hens from too much breeding.

 

[claudiabostic]

I have a couple of prefab coops similar to the one you have. They seem to work fine for 3 to 4 large breed chickens as long as they are only in there at night or when the weather is bad. Mine sleep on the roost under the roof but outside the walls of the coop itself unless it's below freezing and windy. They tend to go to the highest roost available in the evening, so if you can keep them off of any higher roosts at that time then they will use the roost in the coop. I've had trouble with them flying up onto the coop roof at night to sleep. We've covered the coop roofs with corrugated metal roofing and the chickens don't like to step on that so that solved that problem. Make sure the roost that you want them to use is sturdy and not wobbly. We screwed the "outside" roost in place with a screw on each end. We also drilled extra ventilation holes with a hole saw near the peak of the roof and covered them with hardware cloth to deter predators. In all but the worst weather we leave all the vents open. We also reinforced the coop with some 2x4's at the roof ridge and across the short side of the coop. They've been in use for a couple of years now with no major problems. A coat of paint on the outside helps. As for the math of the people advertising coops, I figure they are talking about bantams and being optimistic, so take the lower number and cut it in half and you'll be close to what the coop can actually hold. Also I don't depend on the coop to defend from predators by itself. These coops are on the flimsy side and the hardware cloth is stapled to the inside which makes it pretty easy for a larger predator to get through it. Our coops are inside a sturdy fence with hawk netting over the top of the entire run and some dig preventers. We have plenty of predators of all kinds around since we live in the country but in 4 years we have only had a problem with a snake stealing eggs in the daytime. The coops seem to be enough to keep rodents and bunnies out and the fence takes care of the rest.

 

[Chick Nana 6]

My Rhode Island Red and my Welsummer started laying at 16 weeks and have been consistent layers ever since then. My Welsummer laid an egg every day for 56 days, took one day off, and has laid an egg daily ever since. She’s 9 months old. Neither has ever laid a “weird” egg or one with a soft/thin shell.

 

[bfc chicks]

I have been raising chicken, poultry for 53 years with only a few year inbetween when i didn't have them. Soft thin shells are becoming more of a common thing and panicing new poultry raisers since the colleges and universities are teaching more and more that young chickens shouldn't have calcium till they start to lay eggs. Funny thing is when you where growing up you where told to drink your milk so you could have strong bones since it contains calcium. That said i have a small hatchery where i raise up to 25 breeds of heritage chickens. They are started on a formula of layer mash, fine cracked corn, cracked wheat, steal cut oats, peanut hearts, millet, dehulled cracked sunflower seed, and some other grains. I use a 18 % instead of a higher protein because i want them to grow steadily not push them to reach their adult size to quickly. When feathered i put younger chicks with chicks 2 weeks older this keeps them warm at night and helps integrate the flock easier. Companies use the starter feed to cover all breeds including the big meat crosses. A lot of times we should think back on what we were taught not what the money makers want us to do. Oh ya my feed does cost a little more but they sure look healthier for it.

 

[Tango Charlie]

Those are red sex links not Orpingtons - that helps to explain the early egg laying. I would start the transition to laying feed.

Whoa... So apparently I have red sex links, too. (I thought they were Orpingtons, but they look a heckufalot like those.) Did the OP get them from Tractor Supply by chance?