[Hen 1-0 Fox]

Hey everyone, hope you are all well.

My first hybrids (4) are now approx 23 weeks old, I found their first eggs two days ago, one very small and broken (possibly pecked) and one other also small. One egg was on the floor of the coop, the other balanced on a perch! Ha ha! The day after i found one soft shelled egg outside in their run.   I have placed some golf balls in the nest boxes to try and give the girls a clue, hope this may stop the possible egg pecking if they try to peck the golf balls and get bored?! I have also attached some heavy duty plastic strips to the entrance to the nest boxes to make them a bit darker to try and encourage the girls to lay in there.

Two days later and no more eggs, is the start of laying normally this unpredictable?

Thanks for any guidance

[Casey76]

In short, yes   When they first start to lay they can be terribly unpredictable 

[GrannieAnnie]

Yes, and its frustrating when you've been waiting patiently for your first eggs, then they stop again after a couple of tries, but they will get it right soon, honest!!   

[tosca100]

Ahh yes, we had an egg on the day we collected the chooks, then none, and spasmodically for a few weeks with one chook being prone to softies. We had one broken one (apart from some softies) but none since. Fingers crossed they seem to have settled now, giving 16/18 eggs a week.

[symonep]

We introduced 3 new pol hens with our existing girls and it was really odd as a day before they started laying one of the existing hens went into the new girls coop and layer an egg in there, it was if she was showing them what to do and where to lay!

They have been laying about 2 weeks now as we have just got into a routine of 4 to 5 a day ( when we got 3 more hens we hadn't quite thought about what we would do with 35 eggs a week  :blink: ) hope they get the idea soon 

[Hen 1-0 Fox]

Thanks for putting my mind at rest... Will look forward to more results as the girls mature, I'm in no rush really, just looking forward to some lovely eggs with soldiers soon!

[Hen 1-0 Fox]

Quick update... Two eggs today, one soft and empty in outside run... One hard and intact about 3/4 size in nest box, I feel that's slight progress ha ha.

[symonep]

 

[cheekychick22]

They are practiceing they'll get there