Yay! Got first egg early!!

[mommy of two]

My 9 chickens weren't supposed to lay till around the middle of August! Well we went give the chickens fresh water tonight and I saw something in the nest box, then I was so excited I screamed "there's an EGG in there!!" Well my husband thought I said there was a snake in there and he is terrified of snakes so he got a little jumpy! we didn't even have straw in there yet because it was so early! I don't know which of my chickens layed the egg but it had a smooth firm shell and a nice orange yolk! It had a hole pecked in it though and I really don't know how long it sat in the heat today. So we gave it to the cat. But I am so excited to get more! Here is my first egg!

This is the hole in it

 

[Kelsie2290]

How exciting, sounds like you have an early starter, nice to get eggs before you really expect them, and a nice big egg for a first one.
I would put fake eggs in the nesting boxes asap though, if somebody is thinking about pecking at the eggs you don't want anybody to figure out they can eat eggs, that is a hard habit to break.
I have to admit, that while reading the egg = snake misunderstanding, I thought you were going to tell your husband it was a snake egg, I guess that would have made him even jumpier.

 

[mommy of two]

I put golf balls in the nest boxes last night, so hopefully the pecking wont happen again. After we got the egg we thought maybe my mother inlaw next door put an egg in the nest box as a joke but she didn't!

 

[2crazy2run]

Well I've got five mature hens that I moved to a new coop and they haven't laid an egg in ten days!!!! New young rooster in with them. That may be the problem....... Twiddling my thumbs.... Ain't buy grocery sto eggs!! LOL

 

[farmermadrid]

I am new to this site but my pullets or should i say one of my pullets started laying last week. they are every other day almost and on the small side. i was curious as if this is normal and are they okay to eat? i think they are a few weeks early. i wasnt expecting eggs until towards the end of august.

 

[mommy of two]

Well I've got five mature hens that I moved to a new coop and they haven't laid an egg in ten days!!!! New young rooster in with them. That may be the problem....... Twiddling my thumbs.... Ain't buy grocery sto eggs!! LOL

That is another reason I was surprised to see an egg so early, we have a roo also but he has been with the hens since chicks. He has just recently started mating with them

 

[mommy of two]

I am new to this site but my pullets or should i say one of my pullets started laying last week. they are every other day almost and on the small side. i was curious as if this is normal and are they okay to eat? i think they are a few weeks early. i wasnt expecting eggs until towards the end of august.

There ok to eat as long as they aren't cracked or anything. I would have eaten ours yesterday but it had a hole in it and I didn't want to take a chance with that. I wasn't expecting eggs till then also but we got one. It was so much healthier looking than the store bought ones!

 

[Kelsie2290]

I put golf balls in the nest boxes last night, so hopefully the pecking wont happen again. After we got the egg we thought maybe my mother inlaw next door put an egg in the nest box as a joke but she didn't!

I'm impressed that the pullet laid the egg in the nest box to start with, half the time you have to convince them that the nest box is the place to go. Hope the golf balls stop the pecking before it really gets started., she could also have stepped on the egg wrong maybe and punched a toe nail through it. That is a nice size egg for a pullet, or for your mil, but where did mil lay the other 11?

 

[locoguru]

I'd be looking for the one that layed the quarter!

 

[Kelsie2290]

Well I've got five mature hens that I moved to a new coop and they haven't laid an egg in ten days!!!! New young rooster in with them. That may be the problem....... Twiddling my thumbs.... Ain't buy grocery sto eggs!! LOL

I have never figured out what is so upsetting about moving to a new coop, or a new rooster, or a new different whatever anything else that upsets their delicate psyches, that it takes two weeks to get over.
And if you haven't figured out how chickens think yet, go buy a dozen eggs and your hens will start laying tomorrow, buy two dozen and you will find eggs in the coop tonight. Anybody wanna bet?