When should you not eat the eggs, when to switch feed, and broody hens?

[lablover]

Do you eat the first eggs? When should you not eat the eggs?

I have 5 hens of different ages ranging from 13-17 months. If a 17 month old lays a egg, should I switch to layer feed? What about the younger ones?

What do I do if one goes broody? I might want chicks some day, but it depends on which hen they're from, and I'd prefer them in the spring or early summer. Would I have to separate the broody hen so that she could sit on her eggs? Will she act broody with just one egg at first? Will I be able to take her eggs, or will she get too aggressive?

Please help, these are my first chickens.

 

[audrey02026]

Yes I eat my first eggs. The only time I can think of to not eat eggs is if you are medicating the chickens for something and even then I'm not sure if you cannot eat the eggs I would check on that if I ever had to medicate them.

Since you have different ages I would feed them grower and give them oyster shell free choice to give them the extra calcium. The chickens that do not need it won't bother with it. When they are all laying is when I would switch to layer feed.

If you have a rooster and a broody hen and don't want baby chicks just be sure to collect your eggs every day. I have broodies I just move them aside and grab the eggs they are sitting on everyday. You can also break broodies from sitting if you take them off the nest and keep them out for awhile. My broodies are bantams and lay small eggs anyway so I don't mind much. I just make sure to take them off the nest and let them out to free range with the rest everyday, so they are not always sitting in the nest boxes as they will sit weather there are eggs or not in them. And both are not aggressive at all when you take their eggs.

 

[lablover]

Ok, that helps a lot!

So if I don't want baby chicks, and I get the eggs every day, I can just lock the broody hen out of the coop so she won't sit all day.

Also, will they most likely lay at night/early morning while they're in the coop? What if they lay outside the coop when they're free ranging? How long can the eggs sit out before I need to get them?

 

[audrey02026]

if you get the eggs daily then if she sits on they for a a little while it won't really matter. They lay at various times I get eggs all times of the day. My chickens always lay in the nest boxes in the coop but people have had some hide eggs elsewhere. If you have tall grass it is possible that they may try and lay there. You will just have to see if you feel like they aren't laying as many eggs you may need to investigate and see if they are laying elsewhere. If they do lock them in the coop for about a week and see if that will get them used to their nest boxes.