# First eggs today!



## Slacker (Sep 3, 2020)




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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Congratulations, you girls have joined the big girl world. 

So far it's two?

How did they do with those nightmare temps?


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

Awww, congrats!! I love first eggs. So exciting.


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## Slacker (Sep 3, 2020)

They did just fine with the cold. The eggs were layed in a poop hammock.. Got to go to work now. I'll follow up later.


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## janamsingh (Mar 31, 2020)

which bird eggs are these?


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## Slippy (May 14, 2020)

Excellent!


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

That's great!


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## Slacker (Sep 3, 2020)

janamsingh said:


> which bird eggs are these?


Don't know. Either a Barred Rock or a Buff would be my guess. I have 14 hens just over 21 weeks old, 8 Barred Rocks, 5 Buff Os and 1 Australop. The eggs were side by side in the poop hammock. there were probably 8 hens on that roost last night. I had a BR messing around with a nesting box after I removed the eggs. There are fake eggs in 6 nesting boxes. They have been moving them around lately. Looking forward to the morning!


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## Slacker (Sep 3, 2020)




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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's funny when the girls drop eggs wherever they are when they first begin laying. Although I can think of better places than the poop hammock.


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## janamsingh (Mar 31, 2020)

my friend has an australorp rooster too and it is very territorial (hope i used to right word, lolz). in shaa ALLAH i will include it's pic very soon


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## Slacker (Sep 3, 2020)

janamsingh said:


> my friend has an australorp rooster too and it is very territorial (hope i used to right word, lolz). in shaa ALLAH i will include it's pic very soon


My Australop is a hen. My rooster is a Buff O. He started crowing a couple of weeks ago. He's cool! And might I add very uuuuh..... let's just say busy.


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## janamsingh (Mar 31, 2020)

Slacker said:


> My Australop is a hen. My rooster is a Buff O. He started crowing a couple of weeks ago. He's cool! And might I add very uuuuh..... let's just say busy.


hahaha. good to see the rooster is enjoying its life and its hens. lolz. 
buff o would be hard to acquire in my country. whereas australorp are very common over here. we just recently brought home a bielefelder kennhuhn rooster. its a polite rooster.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

Slacker said:


> View attachment 40236
> View attachment 40235


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

My 6 hens are 23 weeks old. My Golden comet started laying at 15 weeks. The Barred Rock and Speckled Sussex started at 18 weeks. My Welsummer started this week. My Black Australorp and Golden Laced Wyandotte have not started at all. I am concerned as my Australorp should have been laying. Please advise from experience. Thanks


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Is her comb red? If not then she's maturing slower than the others. If everything about her appears fine, eating, activity level, socializing then there's nothing to be overly concerned about


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

My concern is that the is the bottom of the pecking order and they have all been bullies to her. I now have a new rooster who defends her and her life is much better.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Glad to hear the new rooster is working out. 

You know you're losing a lot of the joy of having these guys because you can't relax and try to micromanage normal chicken behavior. See if you can't stand back and just enjoy them.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Glad to hear the new rooster is working out.
> 
> You know you're losing a lot of the joy of having these guys because you can't relax and try to micromanage normal chicken behavior. See if you can't stand back and just enjoy them.


I do really enjoy them as I sit with them several ties a day for an hour or two at a time. They all love to sit in my lap and be petted. I am doing devotionals called "God lessons from the hen house" My chickens teach me about us people. The human side of me hates to see my Black Australorp treated so badly.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It's a difficult thing to see. There is also the possibility they sense something is wrong with her. A weak link in a flock is a danger to the flock. Doesn't matter that they are protected, their deep seated genetics drive them to behave the way they do.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> It's a difficult thing to see. There is also the possibility they sense something is wrong with her. A weak link in a flock is a danger to the flock. Doesn't matter that they are protected, their deep seated genetics drive them to behave the way they do.


How do I find out? She is the 2nd largest. She acts fine. When we go to the big yard she grazes. She is sweet and friendly, sits on my lap and is very beautiful, nice shiny black feathers with a blue green sheen. We have no farm vets within 100 miles. How can I tell if something is wrong? I do love my sweet Lottie.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If everything appears fine, there isn't anything for you to do. That's if anything is wrong. 

There is always a low bird in the flock. Always and she happens to be it. There isn't a lot you can do about it unless you can find her a buddy. Dividing off your pen with her and another might work. Or it might not.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> It's a difficult thing to see. There is also the possibility they sense something is wrong with her. A weak link in a flock is a danger to the flock. Doesn't matter that they are protected, their deep seated genetics drive them to behave the way they do.


Nature can be a bit cruel that way.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*In some ways chickens are like school children. There is always someone who gets bullied, but chickens have the excuse of it's instinct.*


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

Poultry Judge said:


> Nature can be a bit cruel that way.


She has at last began to lay but unfortunately she lays while roosting and the eggs break. The shells are soft. All my others have very hard eggs. She is fed oyster shells like the rest. Do you think this is all caused by stress? She never gets a break. She is bigger than all of them. I wish she would defend herself.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

When hens first start to lay eggs, it might take a short time for their innards to get used to the egg laying process. 
It's true that stress can cause misshapen eggs as well as certain diseases. However, if the soft shell eggs continue after several days, it would be best to add vitamin D into her diet. Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. Tablets would be best, crush them into powder and sprinkle it over feed as a top dressing for her to eat with her feed. Do this for about 10 days and hopefully you'll see improvement in egg shell quality.
Also, I'm sure you have a fake egg in the nesting boxes. Try physically putting her in a nesting box and keeping the others away from her as best as you can.


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