Pjm14624
In the Brooder
- Jun 22, 2023
- 11
- 28
- 42
First, some basic information.
I have three Barred Rocks, 23 weeks old. There is one Blue Orpington approximately 16-18 weeks old.
I found my first egg when the three Barreds were just a smidge shy of 20 weeks. Early on, I was getting one solid egg, on average, every day. But, I was also finding 2-3 soft/no shell eggs every morning in the coop when I went to let them out. That means, in theory, that one of the two remaining Barreds was shooting out two soft shell/no shell eggs. (It for sure wasn't the Orpington, as she was only 12-ish weeks old.)
I still occasionally find a soft shell/no shell egg in the coop and only in the last five days have been seeing 3 eggs a day (but only 3 times in the past 5 days). So, it seems that all 3 Barreds are now laying (sort of) regularly.
Mostly, the eggs are on the small side but early on, there were 4 or 5 that were normal large size eggs.
What I was getting was the following:
*If the egg was medium to large, it was a double yolker
*If the egg was small-ish, the shells were BARELY hard, or hard enough I joked I needed a jackhammer to open it.
*Soft shell/no shell eggs.
It *seems* that things are starting to settle down, but the eggs remain on the small side. The three girls each prefer their own nesting box. One of them lays eggs that are a lighter color and speckled with small white spots, but the spots seem to disappear after a few days. Weird, but maybe normal?
So, we are now four weeks (total) into egg production for one, three weeks for another, and one week for the third. And the third one is the one that lays the speckled ones.
I often take them vegetables that the local farm stand doesn't want to put out for sale, or that are more than a day or two old (cucumbers, zucchini, blueberries, corn on the cob, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), they get millet as a treat, along with black soldier fly larva. They want nothing to do with black oil sunflower seeds, and I cannot get them to take in oyster shells or grit. I stopped giving them the veggies and "treats" to hopefully encourage them to take in the oyster shells and/or grit, but they aren't having it. They get a 16% layer pellet feed and I don't keep food in the coop. So, when I open the coop door in the morning, there's a jail break and don't get between that coop and the "mess hall" where the food is kept.
Is there any issue I should be addressing here? Should I be concerned about the size of the eggs, or does that resolve over time?
As an aside, my neighbors laugh at me because I talk to my chickens. They let me pick them up and pet them, and they love to eat out of my hand if/when they get treats. Their food is inside an old Little Tykes playhouse, as well as their water - to keep it out of the rain/other elements. I have three old patio umbrellas zip-tied to the pen to provide shade on the hot days. It also affords them the ability to be out playing in the rain without getting soaked. There is also a 4x4x3 Shelter Logic tent in that pen with a dog cage in it that they love to hang out in. My neighbors seem to think my chickens live better than some people. LOL
I have three Barred Rocks, 23 weeks old. There is one Blue Orpington approximately 16-18 weeks old.
I found my first egg when the three Barreds were just a smidge shy of 20 weeks. Early on, I was getting one solid egg, on average, every day. But, I was also finding 2-3 soft/no shell eggs every morning in the coop when I went to let them out. That means, in theory, that one of the two remaining Barreds was shooting out two soft shell/no shell eggs. (It for sure wasn't the Orpington, as she was only 12-ish weeks old.)
I still occasionally find a soft shell/no shell egg in the coop and only in the last five days have been seeing 3 eggs a day (but only 3 times in the past 5 days). So, it seems that all 3 Barreds are now laying (sort of) regularly.
Mostly, the eggs are on the small side but early on, there were 4 or 5 that were normal large size eggs.
What I was getting was the following:
*If the egg was medium to large, it was a double yolker
*If the egg was small-ish, the shells were BARELY hard, or hard enough I joked I needed a jackhammer to open it.
*Soft shell/no shell eggs.
It *seems* that things are starting to settle down, but the eggs remain on the small side. The three girls each prefer their own nesting box. One of them lays eggs that are a lighter color and speckled with small white spots, but the spots seem to disappear after a few days. Weird, but maybe normal?
So, we are now four weeks (total) into egg production for one, three weeks for another, and one week for the third. And the third one is the one that lays the speckled ones.
I often take them vegetables that the local farm stand doesn't want to put out for sale, or that are more than a day or two old (cucumbers, zucchini, blueberries, corn on the cob, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower), they get millet as a treat, along with black soldier fly larva. They want nothing to do with black oil sunflower seeds, and I cannot get them to take in oyster shells or grit. I stopped giving them the veggies and "treats" to hopefully encourage them to take in the oyster shells and/or grit, but they aren't having it. They get a 16% layer pellet feed and I don't keep food in the coop. So, when I open the coop door in the morning, there's a jail break and don't get between that coop and the "mess hall" where the food is kept.
Is there any issue I should be addressing here? Should I be concerned about the size of the eggs, or does that resolve over time?
As an aside, my neighbors laugh at me because I talk to my chickens. They let me pick them up and pet them, and they love to eat out of my hand if/when they get treats. Their food is inside an old Little Tykes playhouse, as well as their water - to keep it out of the rain/other elements. I have three old patio umbrellas zip-tied to the pen to provide shade on the hot days. It also affords them the ability to be out playing in the rain without getting soaked. There is also a 4x4x3 Shelter Logic tent in that pen with a dog cage in it that they love to hang out in. My neighbors seem to think my chickens live better than some people. LOL
