First proper actual egg from the chicks

It’s official … the chicks are now pullets. I found this egg in the nesting boxes in the chicks coop.

As you can see by the weight, it isn’t a particularly large egg, but it is perfectly formed. 43 grams is pretty small by the standard of our chickens, we usually run from 50 to 70 grams (one egg actually topped 89 grams).

And here is the egg in comparison with the eggs from the much older White Leghorn chickens. It is no surprise that the pullets first eggs are small. It is normal to get unusually shaped eggs while the chickens get their cycle into gear, so it is very good that this chick has laid a perfectly formed egg with no surface impurities or calcium deposits.

The White Leghorns are pretty much off the lay at the moment. I’ve had only four eggs with shells since the 2nd of January. Normally, I get between 3 and 5 eggs a day from the grown-up girls. I think that the heat has had a serious impact on their cycle. Since the 2nd, I’ve also had about four eggs without any calcium shell … just a weak and leathery skin. All but one of these shell-less eggs has been broken, so they have been fed to the dogs.

Also, I am very happy with the colour of the egg shell. It makes no difference to the taste of the egg, it is purely an aesthetic thing. White eggs come from chickens with yellow legs and white earlobes … brown eggs come from chickens with red earlobes. I think I can identify the chick that laid this egg, she is very dark in colour with reddish yellow legs. She is probably the most developed of the hens too. Anyway, we will see what we will see.