We got our first egg! But.....

[Jessica Chambers]

If you have other egg shells, also you toss those out into the coop. Chickens eat them plain and use the calcium to build their own eggshells! Hopefully your next eggs will be normal within a couple days or a week if they are getting sufficient calcium. They should become normal size in a month or two.

 

[SonoranChick]

It is difficult but try to be patient. It takes about a month or so for some to get on a regular laying regimen. What you are describing is still totally normal.

 

[Photokitty]

When my girls started laying they all started with normal eggs, I weighed them every day. Each one has gone up 5-10g from their first egg. Now, I had one Wyandotte that took a bit to get mature. Her 3 first eggs were shell less her next 3 the shell was so thin it would be cracked when I collected it. Now they are great. The shell has gotten thicker and thicker.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We have gotten three eggs so far. The first one was a rubber egg and then the second one was normal, just on the small size. The third one was another rubber egg. Is this normal? When will we get normal hardshell eggs? When will the eggs become normal size?

It sounds like she is working it out.

Yep, patience is key on the size of eggs What breed is she?

Something I did when my first girls laid eggs was to weigh the eggs on my postal scale. It did take a month or maybe more for them to reach a "proper size". It was fun to see how much the egg actually increased in weight each week.

General egg weights are found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_egg_sizes
I'm sure there are other charts.

 

[BYC910]

Laying is affected by all kinds of things . Soft shells no shells are common in first timers . You may also encounter odd shaped eggs shell less eggs anytime during the laying cycle . Mostly at the beginning and end .You never see the odd shaped eggs at the grocery store. Those are the ones that they ship out in sealed containers .A bucket of eggs They end up on buffets or in precooked premixed products . In the bottom of the oyster shell bag there will be dust . Get the dust a sprinkle it over their feed . If the oyster shells are large make sure they have access to grit . Or grind them down smaller . Make sure the crumbles you switch to are similar to the starter grower you've been feeding . Plenty of clean fresh water and you have given them all they need to make the perfect egg . Up to them to complete the process . So just how much did that first egg cost ?

 

[#lovemychickens]

It sounds like she is working it out.

Yep, patience is key on the size of eggs What breed is she?

Something I did when my first girls laid eggs was to weigh the eggs on my postal scale. It did take a month or maybe more for them to reach a "proper size". It was fun to see how much the egg actually increased in weight each week.

General egg weights are found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_egg_sizes
I'm sure there are other charts.

She is a Rhode Island Red. She laid her first egg when she was about 19 1/2 weeks. She was 20 weeks old yesterday and so far three eggs. Not all were normal though. Thanks for the info on the weights of an egg!!

 

[#lovemychickens]

Laying is affected by all kinds of things . Soft shells no shells are common in first timers . You may also encounter odd shaped eggs shell less eggs anytime during the laying cycle . Mostly at the beginning and end .You never see the odd shaped eggs at the grocery store. Those are the ones that they ship out in sealed containers .A bucket of eggs They end up on buffets or in precooked premixed products . In the bottom of the oyster shell bag there will be dust . Get the dust a sprinkle it over their feed . If the oyster shells are large make sure they have access to grit . Or grind them down smaller . Make sure the crumbles you switch to are similar to the starter grower you've been feeding . Plenty of clean fresh water and you have given them all they need to make the perfect egg . Up to them to complete the process . So just how much did that first egg cost ?

Those first eggs are spendy!!! I haven't eaten the one normal one yet but I bet once we start eating the eggs they will be some of the best ones ever!

 

[SonoranChick]

They will be well worth your time and money spent

 

[BYC910]

Those first eggs are spendy!!! I haven't eaten the one normal one yet but I bet once we start eating the eggs they will be some of the best ones ever!

You'll be even more hooked . Be the best egg you ever had .We got you no turning back now Best eat that egg .If the one without a shell stays intact you can eat it too.

 

[aart]

Something I did when my first girls laid eggs was to weigh the eggs on my postal scale. It did take a month or maybe more for them to reach a "proper size". It was fun to see how much the egg actually increased in weight each week

I did this too, with a kitchen scale that measures in grams, ounces or lbs, not so much anymore.
It can be nice to see the weight increase, or depressing to see it take months for them to get up in size, have seen both.
Had one pullet that laid quite a few softies in the first month or so and also lots of double yolks, she was a sexlink mix, so high production in her genes.
This seasons pullets have only seen one or two softies, and one bird is already up to 'small' size after just a couple weeks, fastest I've seen in 4 years.
It varies greatly.

This is the chart I use: