Meet Miss Dotty. She’s the one that has discovered the grass is greener on the other side. She is not outside the actual coop, but she’s outside the play yard because… well… she thinks she’s special. And I guess she is. There’s always one in every crowd, right? This weekend, enjoying the sunshine, we left the office door open, and she just walked right in. I think she’s the new Queen Hen. She’s actually one of the new chicks – the chicks that are now called Pullets.
And the pullets are beginning their first laying season. They begin laying eggs when they are around 20-23 weeks old. Their first pullet eggs are very small – and highly prized by many chefs. The hens will lay larger and larger eggs until the eggs are full size by the time the hens are around 30 weeks old. They are learning what the nesting boxes are for, but we still check closely in all the nooks are crannies for stray eggs. Just like an Easter egg hunt!