Precocious hen?

[kaddidle]

I have a 19 week old Plymouth Rock hen that has just started laying. Her pen mate is a Production Red that is approximately one month younger. The red hen has started doing the hen squat about the same time that the Plymouth Rock did. Is she just learning from watching the other chicken or is it possible that she's precocious and will start laying soon?

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I have a black sex link that has just started squatting in the last week. I'm still waiting on her first egg. Aside from the squat, her face and comb are getting very red, this is a good sign that she will lay any day now.

Look at your girl's face and comb. If it's red, keep an eye on the ground for her first egg. My other pullet that just started laying laid her first egg on the floor of the coop. Her second egg made it to the nest box.

 

[kaddidle]

Since my older hen is already laying and they will both lay brown eggs, is there any way that I can tell whose eggs are whose? When I found the first eggs, I had gone a day without checking the next box and found two. Is it possible that they both started at the same time?

 

[Chicky Tocks]

If it were at least 40-48 hours since your last nest box check, odds are that the older pullet laid a second egg. I've noticed with my new layers that once the first egg appears, most likely they'll lay another right after. Mine laid her first eggs two days in a row and then skipped the third day.

Your younger pullet, if she's not the same breed as the older one, will most likely lay a smaller egg at first which will gradually get bigger. It may have a different shape than your older pullet's egg, or slightly different color. To know whether they're both laying, be sure to check the nestbox everyday. If you find two eggs within a single 24 hour period, most likely she's already laying.

 

[kaddidle]

I have found some eggs that were a lighter color but with more speckles than the rest. They are all about the same size. Is it possible that they are from different hens?