Alright girls, time to get to work!

Thursday, June 24, 2010
18 weeks ago my cute little day-old chicks arrived in the mail. Yes, they came in the mail. Crazy, I know. From what I've read and what the teacher said in chicken class, pullets (young hens) generally start laying eggs between 18-20 weeks of age.

Just minutes after they arrived in their box

They are 18 weeks old now. Egg watch has officially begun. I know that some chickens don't lay eggs until they are 6-7 months old and hot weather can delay the process but I'm pretty sure I can't wait that long. I even went out and bought a darling pair of egg cups so I can photograph those beauties to share with you all when they get here. I will be one proud chicken mama!

A few weeks old and showing off their new tail feathers

We chose our hens by the colors of the eggs they lay and by temperament. Flo and Ramona will lay brown eggs and Lucy and Effie will lay green or blue eggs (hopefully!). Imagine how cute those eggs will be perched in my new egg cups.

Flo (isn't she gorgeous?) and Ramona

Each morning this week, the boys and I have woken up and gone on an egg hunt. The girls have nesting boxes in their coop and I am hoping they will be comfortable enough to lay there regularly.  I even have fake plastic eggs in each box so the girls will get a clue on where to do it. Sounds silly but my chicken teacher recommended it - and she rules. They do free range most of the day so there is a strong possibility that they will choose to lay around the yard.


I'm a bit obsessed over this whole egg laying deal and I really hope I'm not giving the girls any performance anxiety. Honestly, I can't help it.  For now, I'll continue my egg hunts with the boys and I promise you'll be the first (well probably the second or third) to know when we've got one!

Busted. They no longer have access to the veggie garden.

11 comments:

Lindsey said...

How cool!! My father in law and his wife are raising chickens and they are hoping for some eggs sometime soon as well. I have been saving my cardboard egg cartons for when they start :)

Love the pictures!

Carol B said...

They are so pretty! I never knew there were chicken teachers. I learn something new every day!

Grace said...

Lindsey, they are a blast! I bet your in-laws are having a ton of fun with them.

Carol, I took a "Raising Chickens" class (a one night thing) and it was awesome. I'm telling you, my chicken teacher knew it all.

Ally said...

Awww, I love them. BUT this makes me feel so guilty eating chicken. I wish I could go vegan. I really do. Such adorable creatures.

Kyle & Alissa Circle said...

So cute!! I want baby chickens running around my backyard. My kids would love it!

http://ragstostitchesboutique.blogspot.com

Noelle Johnson said...

We cannot wait to see their eggs either. Maybe it's like the saying, "A watched pot never boils."

sara said...

I can't wait to see the eggs! And I must say, I'm very impressed that they have proper names. I think I would have been too tempted to name the Clucky and Pecky.

Kellye said...

That's so awesome! I can't wait either!!! I'm living vicariously through you, ya know. =)

No Frills No Fluff said...

That's awesome! I wish we had room for a couple chickens where I live! Where did you order from?

Following you from Marvelous Mommy's weekly weigh-in blog.

Grace said...

Hey Sugar! We ordered them from mypetchicken.com - we chose them because they didn't have a minimum order requirement. Lord knows I didn't need 25 chicks my first try ;) Thanks for following!

Laura said...

Awww, they are soooo cute!!!!

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