First Egg

G

Granny Magic

New member
Joined
Mar 17, 2012
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
Yeah !!! had my first egg today - just in time for Easter :)
She laid it in the run though - how do I get her to lay in the nest box? :?
 
New layers sometimes take time to start to use the boxes. Encourage them with a couple of china/rubber eggs, one in each box.
 
We show ours the nest boxes -put them in and let them get out on their own. Only a couple have failed to learn and have had to be shown again. Perhaps if you put eggs in as Chuck suggests as well they would really get the message. Think I'll try that on the next hatch.

Congratulations on the egg GM. Poached is best I think to get the full taste.
 
A year or two ago I had two old birds which weren't laying, and two new POL hybrids. The first one to manage an egg couldn't quite work out what was happening, must have been absent the day they had sex education when she was a chick. I came into the run just as both of them were down deep in the dustbath, gazing with evident astonishment at this pale brown object which had suddenly appeared under mysterious circumstances. Both of them almost had their beaks dropped open with amazement. It was very funny to see. After a day or two she did decide the nestbox was more comfortable. I wondered if it was harder for them because there were no hens in lay in the run with them to provide an example?
 
Congratulations on your EASTER egg Granny Magic! I had a hen lay her first egg in the run and then I did as Chuck suggests to you and put a ceramic egg in each box and the next time she laid, it was in the box, so she caught on really quickly where they were supposed to be.
 
Thanks everyone for your advice - 2nd egg today was in the run as well so will have to try the dummy egg trick but where will I get one?
 
Do you have a Pets at Home store near you? They have a poultry section and they sell the dummy eggs in the store near me or you can buy them on the internet (ebay maybe) or any of the poultry suppliers.
 
That's great Granny Magic, I hope they work and she gets the idea!
 
Oh yes - they take a while to get into their stride, this is puberty after all! Don't be alarmed if you get any weird eggs at first, soft shells, funny shapes, tiny ones with no yolks (fart eggs) as sometimes these appear whilst the pullet is settling into her first lay and will stop after a while. Also even when fully in lay it's usual for a hen to lay for a maximum of 6 days and rest on the seventh - herns must be quite religious birds I think.
 
Thanks Marigold but I spoke too soon - we have had an egg but not until about 4pm - is that normal as well - laying at different times of day?
 
On average a hen takes 26 hours to develop an egg, so in theory at least she will lay later in the day than on the previous day, for several days and then have her day off before starting up early the following day. I don't find it works quite like that with mine, they usually seem to lay in the morning if they're going to, becasue they know I let them out in the garden after lunch for a couple of hours and they don't want to miss playtime!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top