Who else is waiting for that first egg?

[21hens-incharge]

Yes 95 is pretty normal here. I do not like it any more than the poor chickens. Mine pant like crazy when it is this hot. Laying is put off a bit and they let me hear about it. If they hear me come out the back door they get really loud.
Neat nipple waterer. Mine have many open dishes of water. I find that the Brahma are standing in them during the day. I have no issue with that if it helps cool them off. We are going to be hotter and drier for the next week from what the forecast says.
I have shade cloth on the run that will let water through but makes a sunblock taking out about 80% of the sun. I also have some solid shade set up for them and I added fans to the coop. To keep the dust from killing the fans I have them set to suck air into the coop. (secured well of course) They also are shaded by the huge tree and some giant lilac bushes.
If I could let them roam the yard I am sure they would be under bushes where the ground is cooler and it stays shaded. I cannot though due to hawks and not wanting them to eat the garden.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Yes 95 is pretty normal here. I do not like it any more than the poor chickens. Mine pant like crazy when it is this hot. Laying is put off a bit and they let me hear about it. If they hear me come out the back door they get really loud.
Neat nipple waterer. Mine have many open dishes of water. I find that the Brahma are standing in them during the day. I have no issue with that if it helps cool them off. We are going to be hotter and drier for the next week from what the forecast says.
I have shade cloth on the run that will let water through but makes a sunblock taking out about 80% of the sun. I also have some solid shade set up for them and I added fans to the coop. To keep the dust from killing the fans I have them set to suck air into the coop. (secured well of course) They also are shaded by the huge tree and some giant lilac bushes.
If I could let them roam the yard I am sure they would be under bushes where the ground is cooler and it stays shaded. I cannot though due to hawks and not wanting them to eat the garden.

I know we got a little off topic on first egg, but this seems so important! So many on this thread are battling heat while waiting for eggs. The northeast is getting hammered! Ga is an oven. So your fans are sucking air out of the coop? That would work even better to force hot chicken air out! I let mine roam if I get done work early and can watch them. They head straight to the wet bushes to wallow and eat bugs. No Col...Do you freeze your fanny in winter too?

 

[21hens-incharge]

The fans are pulling outside air into the coop to keep chicken dust from clogging the motors and causing a fire.

Yes we freeze our bottoms off in the winter. We get down to -20 each winter for about a week and hover around 0 for a couple weeks to a month and a half. THEN we can warm up to about 30 on a good day.

The heat puts them off laying and so does the cold. I feed slackers most of the year.

TODAY however I got 14 eggs from the group of 21. There are 7 older hens in that group but most are bantam and not laying. I think my layers are coming along nicely.
One of the new BO egg squatted today for the first time.

 

[lanamilo]

I saw squatting today for the first time! 22 week SL Wyandotte. Come on girls!

 

[Mutt Farm]

I saw squatting today for the first time! 22 week SL Wyandotte. Come on girls!

Cool beans! My SLW is still way young. Can you post when she lays? I'm gonna quit wishing at 18 weeks. Seems 22-30 is a better goal.

 

[lanamilo]

I won't be able to contain myself when any of them lay. I'll be sure to make an announcement

 

[Oliver Douglas]

We tried putting golf balls in the nest box...the next morning, instead of hearing "buck buck buck" we heard "putt putt putt"...okay, it was the wife's joke...still funny!

 

[cluckylady812]

20 weeks old for the flock.... Australorps have beautiful combs and wattles... The other 6 are not quite so developed but the waiting is so hard! The entire family asks "any eggs?" About ten times a day lol. Glad for this egg support group!!

 

[csaylorchickens]

I got my first egg today. The sings were darker red combs, submissive squatting, checking out the nesting boxes, their vents were blushing a bit, and they started to squak a bit more loudly (I felt bad for my neighbors!) and when I came home from school to check on them, one of them pecked at my hand when I reached or the water! I'm guessing she is the one who laid the first egg. Haha didn't hurt but I was surprised. My hens are normally so sweet. My husband told me when he gets home they run to the fence and look and seem disappointed when it's not me lol

 

[Calima]

Yeah! I finally got my 1st egg yesterday from one of my 8 girls that turned 20 weeks on Monday.

Not sure who it's from & haven't gotten another one yet from anyone.

All 8 are a different breed. A Delaware, a Dominique, a Buff Chancelor, a Speckled Sussex, a Barred Rock, a White Cochin, a Golden Laced Wyandotte & a Cukoo Marans. I suspect it's the Delaware or Dominique, but not sure.

Beautiful speckled egg! Congrats!