First egg(s)

The day old chicks I got on April 4th have gotten quite large. Their wattles and combs are blood red. One pullet in particular had hooked up with the most polite of my roosters. The others run like hell when a rooster gives them the look.

For the past several days, this pullet has been sneaking in the house and rummaging around in the office making a racket knocking things over. I'd always shoo her out. Only my older hens are allowed in the house. It looked like she was looking for a place to lay but she's not even 5 months old yet! They mostly start around 6 months.

I didn't realize that she was inside this morning until I heard this surprised chicken cackling like crazy. The racket was coming from the bedroom. I looked on the bed and there were these two little bitty eggs. She had laid two!

The pic is of her two eggs, one slightly larger than the other next to an egg laid by a mature hen.

Well, they have to start sometime. Sounds like if the hens have their way Liz you could have some roommates :)
Pat

I really don't need any more roommates. At least she sleeps in her house with the other chickens rather than on the bed with 5 dogs and me. I'd have to put my foot down about that. Chickens poop when they sleep.

I've had other hens laying in the house. One chose the fish junk closet in my office. The other chose the cabinet below the the 75 gallon tank in the fish room. They would pace back and forth at the front door waiting until I got home from work and let the dogs out. They eventually got over it and started laying their eggs in the nest boxes in their house. Perhaps when winter comes and the door is closed most of the time they'll decide to use a more appropriate place to lay. I can put up with it for now.

BTW, today's eggs was almost as large as a big hen's eggs. Also, I saw another pullet "assuming the position" willingly for the same rooster. He's the least aggressive one. He kind of sweet talks them and clucks to them when he finds a special treat for them. When the other two roosters get some it's more like rape. The chickens hate it.

A second hen has started laying. She chose a nest box, thank God.

These are not Brahma I presume?

Yes. Light Brahma's from Cackle Hatchery.

What's more cool is that a third is laying. I went out to feed them their daily treat of scratch and meal worms. They all came running when I called them. One was not right. Her heck was low and her head down. She was having contractions of some kind. It looked like either she was in big trouble which I had no idea how to fix or she was laying an egg. All I could do was watch...and after a long while she was standing, she laid a dutiful dark brown egg right in front of my eyes.

I've been accused of being more obsessed with my chickens than I am with my fish. Sometimes I am.