Post your FIRST EGG pics!

[fosterson]

Congrats to everyone on yall's eggs!

Looking great now how to get them to lay in the nesting boxes and without scratching the hay out? I need help! Also I'm wanting to know if my rir hens will in the future be good broodies and hatch me out some baby barred rocks?

also I've tried the golf ball and regular eggs hoping to entice them to lay:/

RIRs (at least the non heritage bred ones) are bred for egg production, not broodiness. If you get a RIR that broods, you've got a rare bird indeed!

 

[KristyAnn]

Oh man! Well hopefully my Buff Orpington will work.

 

[KristyAnn]

Now what about the Barred rock breed from the hatchery?

 

[fosterson]

Now what about the Barred rock breed from the hatchery?

Again, being hatchery stock they don't have the 'broodiness' the original Rocks were known for. That said, I have a hatchery barred that is trying to go broody...which normally I would be really happy about. Unfortunately, she decided that a completely unsafe, unsheltered area in the bales of straw was her nest of choice and won't move into the box I WANT her to use.

If you really want a reliable broody, get a pet quality Silkie They'll incubate doorknobs.

 

[KristyAnn]

Yeah I heard that about Silkies. This woman who has one told me that Silkies so good on broody, the males been known to help out. I'd like to have one, but I'm very limited to my bird intake in my area, but it'd make sense to have a broody, so when all the meat and egg birds have done finished doing the egg laying and meat providing, I can at least have back ups to replace those birds position. I may consider trading in one of my girls or the two new babies I got this week for one Silkie. Idk. Whatcha think it'd be worth?

 

[fosterson]

I say keep your eyes open here on BYC in the 'free to good home' section and Craigslist for your area -- Silkies come up free to good homes pretty frequently.

And my silky X roo Fugly DOES try to incubate eggs.

 

[KristyAnn]

I found one, but I gotta get rid of my two little leghorn x ones. Found out them both Roos very disappointed, but I'm sure this free to good home section will do them justice. Thanks for the advice

 

[Sue1954]

Our RIR layed a double-yolker shortly after she started laying, but none since then. Durn it!

I've heard the double yokers come more when they first start laying!

 

[Binababy]

Wow thank you for your knowledge they came from a feed store they had gotten from a hatchery. And I called Murray McMurray about some barred rocks as well and that's what she told me about hatchery chickens. Now I have some lavender orpingtons everyone has said they are good moms, will they work? If not I'll have to see about some silkies

 

[Binababy]

Also what about raising these hens all together and maybe the rir and barred rocks learning to be broody? Or having eggs hatched by a silkie or orpington and them learning from them? I realize this may take a lot of time. Lol.