Who else is waiting for that first egg?

[21hens-incharge]

LOL he is ready for them but I bet they would rather wait a bit and let him make a fool of himself for a while. I bet it is a treat to watch him dance.

 

[jonezjollyfarm]

Yes it is. We have let them socialize in a very monitored situation and he did good. I at the time didn't know why he was dancing like that, I thought he was being a bully. I will say the girls were kind of mean to him. Pecking and picking at him and he was just trying to be Casanova

 

[KristanR]

ME!!!!!!

Our reds are getting close..the barred rocks are a bit younger so it's not so anxious with them. My girls go in and out of the boxes. Mess around a little bit with the golf balls, stay for a minute or two and then hop out.

Waiting is not much fun....worth it...but not fun..LOL

 

[JenandDave]

Finally!!! One of my Barred Rocks layed our first homegrown egg today. Small but perfect, such a light brown it's almost pink. So excited! They are 20.5 weeks old.

 

[Mutt Farm]

I just today repainted the inside of my boxes dark. BO's and EE's are 19+ weeks, 1 BO has bright red comb and wattles, squatting. No eggs. No interest in boxes. hope they like the paint job, I'm impatient!

 

[Manyana]

We've got our first egg this morning.....noticed yesterday that one of our girls had made a nice little nest.....and this morning she came out of the coop for a pick at the grain but wasn't around a little later, found her on her nest so left her in peace. Later when I took down the vege scraps, there were 10 hens out so I checked the nesting box ......and there, beautifully clean and warm was a lovely egg..... I'm so proud to have our first and that our girls like their coop enough to return to it to lay. You hear all the horror stories of free ranging chooks laying everywhere and anywhere except in the egg boxes. Let's hope that they are all as good when they start laying.

The basket was a special gift from friends down the road. Gary said I had a special bright basket to collect my eggs in.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I just today repainted the inside of my boxes dark. BO's and EE's are 19+ weeks, 1 BO has bright red comb and wattles, squatting. No eggs. No interest in boxes. hope they like the paint job, I'm impatient!

It has to happen eventually right?
My first EE did not lay til 25 weeks old. I was really surprised by this new EE laying at 19 weeks. The BO's here have not laid yet either. Thinking since they are a larger breed they may need a little longer. I wont expect them to lay til 24 weeks or so. Mine have bright red combs too.

Hang in there!

 

[diana507]

2 out of 12 of my girls yesterday and today are beyond actively checking out the boxes and seem very restless. They are very vocal also. Their combs are bright red and all swollen up. I keep checking, but nothing..... One of them is squatting so much. I know they aren't far off but they really could hurry up and make mommy happy, since I went above and beyond to make sure they were happy and comfy in their coop. Lol

 

[RhodeyGal2012]

We found our second egg to day! Not sure which hen laid it, but we have an idea. Question...are we supposed to wash the eggs? I saw this egg washer for sale on one of the sites and wondered if we're supposed to give the eggs some special sort of cleaning. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Mutt Farm]

We found our second egg to day! Not sure which hen laid it, but we have an idea. Question...are we supposed to wash the eggs? I saw this egg washer for sale on one of the sites and wondered if we're supposed to give the eggs some special sort of cleaning. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

NO!!!!! The egg has a natural shield from bacteria. Moisture causes the shell to suck external bacteria into the egg. Gimmie a sec, I'll find you some info.