How long to wait until the 1st egg?

[Nicos]

first egg eh!!!!!...tis wonderful!!! ( I blew mine and kept the shell!!)
No doubt it'll taste yummy!!

[MaureenHall]

question is which bird did it?

Reading my hen info sheet, I should get white eggs, rusty Brown eggs, large brown eggs or brown eggs

Any vote on what this one would be classed as - I would suggest it a small egg rather than a medium or large

Well it's a brown egg, not a white one, and as it's the first one, it's bound to be smaller than ones from hens that's been doing it for a while. It doesn't look particularly "rusty" so that could rule out 2 of them

[Maddie106]

Just enjoy your chickens!
They are amusing (Watching my trio doing vertical lift-off from their hut to eat fushia leaves is hillarious!)
They are stress-busting( The happy chicken noises when I give them lettuce/grass/dandelions etc are really calming)

They will lay when they are ready and then you will have brilliant eggs that taste so good, with bright yellow yolks!

[HayleyB]

Good on that laydee, mind you their first eggs are small ours young'uns are still laying small eggs a couple of weeks later

[Flummery]

Ours started laying about third week in April and are now doing supermarket sized eggs. They started off with cute little dinky things! They'll get bigger gradually but before too long you'll have lovely big eggs.

[CoraxAurata]

30+ weeks?! Oh no! Are my lot are all pure breeds?

Maran
Wyandotte
Cream Legbar
Buff Sussex
Scot's Dumpy
Marsh Daisy

Jules

Yep but the Marans and I think the sussex will probably be before 30 weeks my home bred marans are point of lay now (1 justabout started 2 not quite) hatched 18th of February I think (21 weeks)the previous hatch started at about 24 weeks....

[CoraxAurata]

No idea for your breeds- but I am interested in getting 3 Marans ( on hold just for now) and they are a mixture of Coucou de Malines, Croad Langshan, Rennes, Faverolles, Barred Rock, Brakel & Gatinaise.( apparently)..so that's not really a pure breed is it???? No idea when they reach POL though- sorry

BUT when your first egg arrives you'll feel like a kid at Xmas!!!!!

Many generations ago though!

[julesapple]

I would take my laptop out into the henhouse to show the girls this thread....but they can't read. I know this because they haven't read any of the chookbooks either!

None of them seem to realise what they are supposed to be doing! Still, great having them around, especially as they now free range the entire garden. They've nibbled all the plants & shrubs...don't like salad leaves, broccoli, peas or the grapevines (hurrah!) love tomatoes and strawberry leaves and my senetti daisies.

Today they had the time of their lives as the showers brought worms to the surface. They won't touch slugs though (boo!)

Oh, and when it slung it down all of a sudden they were all under the patio table with five of our cats!!! I did take pics but didn't put the memory card into the camera....duh!

Jules

[tlck9]

got my second egg yesterday

go my second egg yesterday evening

Again a similar size and colour, still dont know which one it is from....

Anyway I'm enjoying them being around, I wouldnt mind moving them to our home garden though instead of the allotment, but I've got to work on that!

My cornish meadow red (Rhode Island Red, Light Sussex cross) absolutely adores slugs, although have to watch it being on a allotment as I dont know who uses slug pelletts, although the guy next door did say he only uses the organic ones that dont harm birds....ummm

[MaureenHall]

My Bluebelles at nearly 23 weeks still haven't started laying. I'm beginning to wonder if they were actually younger than 15 weeks when I got them. Their combs and wattles are developing, but not as far advanced at this age as my other Bluebelles were. Anyway, I've had a good look at a couple of them when we were having our afternoon cuddle, and tried the "finger-span" test. Apparently if there's a space of approximately 3 fingers between the pelvic bones, then the hen's in lay or very close to it. Mine are only 2, to 2 and a bit (suppose it depends on the breed and how thick your fingers are!) so not there yet. Also they're not crouching (Basil does that test every morning for me ). So, looks like a few more weeks yet

[Suechooks]

My Bluebelles at nearly 23 weeks still haven't started laying. I'm beginning to wonder if they were actually younger than 15 weeks when I got them. Their combs and wattles are developing, but not as far advanced at this age as my other Bluebelles were. Anyway, I've had a good look at a couple of them when we were having our afternoon cuddle, and tried the "finger-span" test. Apparently if there's a space of approximately 3 fingers between the pelvic bones, then the hen's in lay or very close to it. Mine are only 2, to 2 and a bit (suppose it depends on the breed and how thick your fingers are!) so not there yet. Also they're not crouching (Basil does that test every morning for me ). So, looks like a few more weeks yet

I think my Bluebelle also from Creag Mhor was about 25 weeks before she started laying - that's assuming she was 15 weeks when I got her!

[MaureenHall]

Ah!!!! well just as I thought, another 2 weeks or so then. thanks for that