Newbie with egg laying questions

[SweetWater]

Sometimes eggs can have meat spots or blood spots whether they are fertile or not. It dosent happen often or to every hen but it's perfectly normal.
These eggs are fine to eat too

I'm a newby too. I got my first egg yesterday and tryied to pick up the hen who layed it and receved a nasy bite. Poor girl didnt want to be touched. I never thought she'd be sore, lol

Don't feel bad. Everyone was a newby when they first started. Even those who are more seasoned learn something new everyday

 

[centavo71]

Thank you all SO MUCH for your answers! I am feeling more and more excited about that first egg! I think I will just buy they layer feed next bag, even if I have no egg yet. Can you do anything to ENCOURAGE egg laying? Put an egg in their nest?

 

[fordmommy]

Quote:
Most people put a golf ball or a plastic egg or you can even buy wooden eggs and put them in the nesting boxes.

 

[feathersnuggles]

I switched to layer pellets and offered free choice oyster shell when my pullets reached 17-18 weeks old. About as high as the tops of their backs, I nailed a clean tuna fish can to the side of the coop under the eaves and filled it halfway with the shell. Everyone ate, but a couple of the pullets gobbled it up the shell and their combs and faces reddened up noticeably. One of those girls began spending time fussing around in the nest and she layed her first egg about a week later. I'm a newbie so it's just a hunch, but I wonder if different breeds may need different levels of calcium? And I agree with allmypeeps about the impact of diet quality and frequency of egg laying.

Since they are not on layer feed yet, you might want to pick up a small amt of oyster shell and just offer it, free choice style, in case a few of your pullets are ready.

 

[fshinggrl]

I have kids who love being around the chickens so I do NOT have a rooster. I'm not saying that all roosters are bad, but I don't need a rooster coming after my kids. Originally I wanted to keep a rooster, but all my pullets ended up being.. uh.. pullets. (surprise there!) I'd love to raise some chicks from eggs but not when my kids are this young.
I feed a high quality layer feed and do not offer oyster shells. I have had no issues with my eggs.

 

[centavo71]

So far, my roosters are pretty docile...at least with non feathered creatures. With each other they can get pretty rowdy though

 

[happi752]

I do not feed my hens oyster shell. I just feed with a good crumble and have no issues with them. If you notice blood spots in a lot of the eggs, start giving a daily treat of shredded carrot. usually lots of blood spots indicate a lack of vitamin A in the diet and carrot or some sort of green (collard green) will give them extra vitamin A in the diet and cut down on the blood spots in the eggs.