No eggs since Tuesday???

[srd5757]

Sorry this is long...
Ok, this is my first experience with chickens. We have 2 4wk old chicks inside, we later decided it would be cool to adopt a couple adult hens so that we wouldn't have to wait so long for eggs. So we adopted two: a 7 mo old Buff Orpington and a 1 yr old Speckled Sussex. We brought them home Sunday night. They spent the night in the garage as the coop was not finished. Monday am I put them back in the pet taxi and carried them to the backyard. Opened the door to the pet taxi and let them check out the yard as they wished. My son kept checkin on them every hour or so (so cute). Around noon or so he came in all upset because he couldn't find "Speckle" (the sussex). I went out and she was back in the pet taxi. We left her be thinking maybe she was scared or something. A few hours later while we were out doing stuff we find an egg in the pet taxi, much to my shock, I was expecting it to be a few days before we got anything after getting them all settled. Then we got their coop finished and got them in there for the night (Monday night). We haven't had any more eggs other than the one... is this normal? Should I be trying to search for an egg layed somewhere else? I just find it odd that the sussex laid one and is now stressed and stopped.... Any ideas?
On a happier side note last night when I went to catch the chickens and put them in the coop for the night I was pleasantly surprised that they were already inside and all I had to do was look it up! I guess they've decided it is a good home!

 

[thomaschickens]

I don't know how long it takes a chicken to make an egg, but the first one that she laid may have already been "in the process" of being made when you brought her home. I gave a few of my 2 year old birds to a friend who was starting her chicken coop. Well my red sex link laid an egg in the transport box at her house that day and then didn't lay for a few more days (even though she was always a daily layer). I wouldn't worry too much about it. I noticed that when I introduce a new chicken to the flock that they all go haywire for a few days, some even go on strike for a week. Maybe she just likes the pet taxi as a nesting box lol. She could be laying elsewhere as well. Searching the property for eggs sounds like a good job for your son and he will feel like he's doing something really important (depending on how old he is)!

 

[Den in Penn]

It is normal. The egg laid was in the production line when you picked them up. Your right to think it will be a while for them to settle in and start laying. It could a few weeks till they feel at home.

 

[thomaschickens]

Den in Penn- so how long does it take for a chicken to make an egg? Does it take older birds longer to actually make an egg, or do they just take longer rest breaks in between?

 

[LoriL]

I've been told it takes 25-26 hours start to finish, to produce an egg. So they lay slightly later each day, until it gets to be dusk and then they'll skip laying until the following morning.

 

[srd5757]

Hmmm... Sounds good. I figured it was alot of change. The timeline has to be a bit different by breed though as some lay more than others...
Anyways. Good News! Speckle layed again today! So I'm hoping she'll be back on track and become 'regular'. However, the 7 month old Buff Orp still hasn't done anything. So, I guess it's a waiting game.