[Walfre]

Hi, our hens started to lay yesterday. We had 2 lovely eggs from 2 of our 5 hens. This morning we had a soft shelled egg & a broken soft shelled one, unlike the 2 yesterday neither of these had been laid in the nest box. We are wondering if this is normal at the start of laying. We are feeding them layers pellets from fancy feeds. They have access to a grit shell mix although they don't seem to be using it. Have a cabbage about every 3 days plus a few mixed leaves every few days & a small amount of grass cuttings again every few days. For a late afternoon treat they are getting a large spoonful of porridge (made with milk) between them. They won't touch corn. Any advice would be very welcome. Thanks

[compostqueen]

They don't need milk!  They don't need porridge either for that matter 

The grit is important to them so make sure they always have access to it. You could get some Ostrea oystershell to mix with the grit. They will eat it readily but it needs to be kept clean and dry so either keep it covered so rain doesn't get into it or put it in a plant pot with holes in the bottom

It's early days for your girls and they'll get into their stride.  Are they getting plenty of fresh air and daylight ? 

[kegs]

Hi Chris.  Be a bit stricter with your girls diet (so cut out the porridge!) and you'll find they'll soon settle down and start laying nice hard shelled eggs.

[Walfre]

Will cut out the porridge as of today. Their grit is a mix with the shell in it but as I say they don't seem to touch it. Think I might scatter some rather than putting it in the cup & see if they peck it up from the floor.
 They are in an enclosed run, all 4 sides open to the elements but it does have a poly roof. So plenty of fresh air.
had another small but good egg this morning but don't know which of the 5 girls is laying soft ones. They are all hybrids.
Thanks for the advice re porridge.

[kegs]

No problem.  Are they still quite young because if so it will take them a little while to lay normally.

[splash101]

You could give them a porridge made from layers pellets (just soak them in hot water to the right consistancy and cool before giving) that way they are getting all the right nutrients and they dont seem to realise its made from the same stuff they would be eating in hard form.

If you are giving treats, limit them and dont give them until late afternoon / teatime, that way they will have eaten the correct food during the day.
They are a bit like children and sweets.

It is a bit hit and miss when they first start to lay but they soon get the hang of it.

Mine ignore the shell and grit too but its there if they need it, and they also took a bit of convincing with the corn but now they love it.

[Walfre]

Thankyou, yes they are quite young, we got them 5 weeks ago & were told they were 16 weeks at the time.
Treats are given late afternoon. After a slow start with the pellets they are now eating for england.
Perhaps we are just being impatient.

[tosca100]

One of our's was laying soft eggs for weeks, but has settled down now and gives us the biggest eggs.

[Blobbs]

Hi
I got 8 x16 week olds at the same time as you. I get the odd soft one and sometimes a tiny one still. I don't get 8 eggs every day either, sometimes 7. As you say it's hard to tell if it's one hen or if they take it in turns ! I usually find one or two in the house rather than in the coop. Silly things all lay in the same box too. I imagine them all queueing up waiting to "go "!

[Walfre]

Thanks guys.

All eggs now hard shells, getting 3 or 4 a day from the 5 hens, still don't know for sure which ones are laying. Quite a bit of feather pecking going on, we think it is the non layers pecking the layers. Ours all tend to lay in the same box as well, & we have watched the queue to get in. Still very small eggs and oh my!! the noise when they lay.

[tosca100]

Thanks guys.

All eggs now hard shells, getting 3 or 4 a day from the 5 hens, still don't know for sure which ones are laying. Quite a bit of feather pecking going on, we think it is the non layers pecking the layers. Ours all tend to lay in the same box as well, & we have watched the queue to get in. Still very small eggs and oh my!! the noise when they lay.

  Our bossy hen is a really noisy girl, talk about tell the world! And with all the fuss she makes....she lays the smallest egg! There are often three eggs in one box, but they are different. Black one lays large pale eggs, warren mid brown and often a few speckles, and speckled mis coloured and smallest. You'll soon get to know which are which.