I have 4 EE, 4 Ancona, 5 red star, 5 Single Comb Brown Leghorns and 4 buff orpingtons. about 5 days ago, found our first brown egg in one of the nest boxes(I belive it is from one of the red stars) that afternoon found another egg (soft shell) in the same box. next day no eggs, next day one brown in a different nest box, yesterday two brown eggs. all eggs relatively small. all hens are about 19 weeks old. As I understand it, the eggs will/may be smaller, shell-less, etc.. until their system becomes used to laying. My question is: when hens begin to lay, is it common that the egg laying is initially sporatic or once they start to lay do they lay every 22-26 hours? Yes they free range, and I have been walking all over their range to see if they are laying someplace else, but as I am getting eggs in the nest boxes I am assuming the hens that lay there will continue to lay in the same place.