Our first egg--from a 15 week old!

[MaKettle]

I had the absolute surprise of my life last night. I looked into the coop & there lay a small brown egg. I think it may have come from Ginger, my golden comet, as she has the most red comb, face & developed wattles. We didn't even have the nest boxes open so we had to get them up & running last night. It was so exciting!!

I know that Ginger needs layer feed & oyster shell. Does anyone have any recommendations about whether its ok to start this now, even though my other girls aren't laying??

 

[Liana]

Congratulations! I would not switch over to layer feed until they are all laying. Not sure if it's a good idea to put oyster shell in a separate container for Ginger - I think I would, but I've never had this situation come up. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in. (Free bump

)

 

[fldiver97]

I switched all of mine to layer feed when the first one started to lay. I also keep crushed oyster shell available in a small feeder. My girls starting laying weeks apart from each other even though they were the same age. They also got to forage in the yard. I don't think it would hurt to switch to alayer feed, maybe mix 50/50 for a week or 2 with the grower feed. But I would make sure that you have a dish with a source of calcium available from now on so that the chickens can supplement when needed. If your other girls are the same age they are getting close to laying too (hopefully.....my EE was 30some weeks old when she finally decided to start laying). Good luck. And congrats on the first egg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ruth Ann]

Congrats!!

 

[MaKettle]

Thanks for the replies...though, you are both saying something a bit different...

We got another egg tonight--this time a little smaller but found in the nest box, which is awesome.

Does anyone have any other thoughts on the layer feed vs. chick starter since I only have 1 of 5 chickens laying & they are only 15 weeks & 1 day old??

 

[aka Rachel]

When I had a mixed flock (hen and pullets) I fed a chick feed and had ground oyster shell seperate in a dish. My hens egg shells were fine. Actually I will be doing that again shortly to accomodate my new chicks!

 

[gryeyes]

Put out crushed oyster shell, free choice. (I keep mine in an empty tuna can nailed to an inside wall of the coop, near the feeder.) Those that need it will take it, those that don't, won't be all that interested in it.

Hold off on the layer feed until they are all laying.

And, actually, I don't use layer feed at all, any more. I feed everybody, all the different ages over 8 weeks, grower/finisher feed, the equivalent of FlockRaiser, if you're a Purina customer. But I have crushed oyster shell available to them all the time.

I do NOT add it to the feed.

 

[bigoakhunter]

I would wait a week or two, till you start getting a couple eggs a day. Then go with the layer feed. In the mean time , do as suggested. Put out free choice oyster shell.