One egg...no more?

[sixchicks]

I have 6 hens that are all about 18 weeks old. I was so excited to discover my first egg last Friday and thought I'd be finding eggs in the nesting boxes regularly!

But, after the one perfect egg, there have been no more eggs!

Has anyone had a similar experience with their young hens?

 

[Kittymomma]

It's pretty common. I bet in another month you'll be trying to figure out what to do with all the eggs though.

They often start and stop when they first begin laying. Double yolk eggs and sometime strange shell shapes are also likely off and on for the first few months. What breed(s) are your hens? Some breeds are known to start earlier then others but there can still be a huge difference in when they start to lay even with same breed pullets from the same hatch.

 

[sixchicks]

Thanks so much for your BYC welcome and reply! I feel better knowing this is common laying behavior. Nothing in the books I have referred to starting and stopping. I have 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Australorps and 2 Wyandottes. I love them!

You would have thought that I discovered a gold nugget when I found the egg.