We got our first egg yesterday!!!

[jason736]

Hi,
My girlfriend and I have 26 red stars that with be 16 weeks old tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon we got our first egg! This afternoon about the same time we got our second one. This one was about twice the size. The first was laid in a nest box, the second on the coop floor, other end of the coop. We put a wooden egg in each box a week ago. Is there any other ways to promote laying in the box?

 

[fldiver97]

Congrats on the first eggs!!!! Nice 'background' for the photo!!

You should send that to the BYPoultry folks....LOL. As far as laying in the nestboxes goes.....what has worked for me is: a couple of wooden eggs (can use ceramic eggs, round/eggshaped rocks, golfballs...), Nestboxes a foot or so off the floor, higher if you have ramp. Also make sure the boxes are in a semi-private spot....not right by the door or in a 'busy' area, not in the brightest spot. Generally several chickens can share a nestbox, I think I read 3-4 per nestbox. I do have more but not one per chicken. Some like certain nestboxes and will wait until they can get in it ... Some folks have posted pics where two hens squeezed in the same nestbox even if others were available. You can try to have a piece of cloth or towel partially hanging in front of the nestbox to give more 'privacy'. Maybe the egg on the floor was just an 'oops' by a new layer...... Hope it's just an accident and the girls will use their nestboxes

 

[b.hromada]

Congrats on your first egg!!

Isn't it so egg-citing? Enjoy!!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats on the eggs!

As for getting them in the box, sometimes it takes about a week before they get the picture. Here's what I've found though: Don't put a wooden egg in every box. Cluster a couple in a few boxes, but leave some boxes empty. I have some hens that want the box everyone has laid in, and I have some hens that want the box empty. But I have found that if you cluster them like a clutch, they think "oooooh, this must be a great place for my egg".

 

[tri-5-ron]

congrats, and yea for you,...
We got our first today too

 

[jason736]

Hi,
Thanks everyone for the congrats and information.

We have a wooden egg in every box; we'll leave a couple empty tomorrow. We have 26 birds and 9, 16in X 16in boxes. Hopefully the eggs will keep coming

 

[Fourgirlsoneboy]

Congrats on your 1st (and 2nd)!!!

 

[MommyToThree]

Quote:
Congrats, I just got my first egg today; sounds like lots of us did! My oldest chickens are 17 weeks, and the others are 10 weeks. I'm so glad I didn't have to wait longer because I just was sooo looking forward to eggs! Thanks be to God for them being fast layers!! I just wish I knew which one it was. She also layed in the next box!!!! I too have wodden eggs in a few of the boxes, and yes, the egg layed was in a box that did have the wood egg inside.

 

[alaskachick]

Those eggs look decent. I always hear how sometimes first eggs are droopy, pimply or wrinklely. Good job ladies.