Pullets Beginning to Lay Eggs

[mydakota]

I am fairly new to chickens--just got my girls this spring. My flock consists of 3 regular laying hens, 2 older pullets that either just started laying or should be laying soon, and 2 younger pullets that I don't think could be laying yet. (My Wyandotte COULD be laying, but she would be pretty young for it). Anyway, I am pretty sure that my older BR pullet started laying a couple of weeks ago. I found one VERY small and oddly colored egg on the dirt in the chicken yard. A few days after that, I found a slightly larger egg on the dirt on the other side of the yard. After that, I started finding smallish (but normal sized) eggs in the laying boxes that looked slightly "cone-headed". I am guessing those are hers, and that she is starting to lay more normal sized eggs. Up until yesterday, I have still been waiting for my RIR pullet to start laying. She is about the same age and size as my BR. Yesterday morning, I went out to open up the henhouse, and in one of the nesting boxes was not one, but TWO very small eggs! I think the next one to start laying must be my RIR, but is it possible that she could lay 2 eggs in one day? Would my BR go back to laying those very small eggs after laying a couple of more-or-less normal eggs? Could the second pullet egg be my Gold Laced Wyandotte pullet, even though she is not quite 5 months and is not yet full sized? I was not at all surprised that I would find a small egg like that, as I was expecting Lucy to start laying any time now. I was just very surprised to find 2 of them. Have any of you all seen this in any of your pullets?

 

[flockof4]

The eggs can be small when they first start laying so nothing to worry about there. I don't think the same chicken would lay two eggs in one day so the two eggs in the nesting box are from different chickens. The RIR will probably lay a darker brown egg not sure about egg color for the BR or Wyandottes. Also, laying can be a little bit sporadic at first. So you might get an egg from one chicken one day and then that chicken might not lay for another day or two. But chances are you're about to be awash in eggs. Enjoy.

 

[gritsar]

The eggs can be quite strange in a variety of ways until the girls get all the kinks out of the egg factory.
If you found two eggs, I would strongly suspect that they are coming from two different pullets/hens.
Are you using golf balls in your nestboxes to give them the idea?

 

[mydakota]

I am not using golf balls, but the three older hens are regular layers, so I think they are getting the idea from them. Would the BR revert to "pullet type" eggs after laying a couple of normal eggs? I just have a hard time thinking the Wyandotte could possibly be laying yet. But the only other pullet out there of egg laying age is the RIR. The Wyandotte is just barely/not quite 5 months old.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Yes, a pullet that's just started laying could throw a smaller eggs. Even my hens that have been laying for two years will occasionally have an off day and throw a smaller egg.

 

[FluffyColor]

Yeah, young pullets lay smaller eggs.