How will I know who is laying eggs?

[Dean H]

I know I've been on Facebook too long, I read MissEllies post regarding the felt tip pens and immediately went to press the 'like' button...
Dean.

[MissEllie]

but the credit goes to Lucy

[julieann]

Thank you tamk23 - will go and look on the net for blue bell and rhode rocks.

sometimes different breeders call the same hybrids different names, what others refer to as a bluebell my supplier called a blue haze

[HedgeHugger]

I have found that you soon learn who lays what.
My 3 have been laying for around 2 months. They are all the same breed.
When we got the first egg I had no idea who did the deed!, but because there was only one laying we soon realised who it was. She also lays whopping big eggs, her smallest being 79g! they are also lighter than everyone elses.
The second hen to lay was quite shouty, so we quickly learned when she was laying. She lays darker, speckly eggs. The third lays the same coloured eggs as number 2 but they tend to have no speckles.

No idea how people could keep track if they had lots of chickens, but 3 is manageable :)
It also helps if the appearance of the eggs is different.

[pegpuss]

Ok, I confess....last weekend (the luxery of 4 days off work over Easter) I did chicken spying. I basically watched who disappeared into the coop then pounced as soon as she emerged to retrieve the egg. I wrote the name of the lady responsible on each egg and after 4 days of doing that I realised they really do have different "signatures" in terms of egg shape and size!
As a result I've been giving eggs with names to my colleagues much to their amusement
2 weeks in with my 5 ex batts and they're still giving me 3 or 4 eggs every day

[Mo]

I think the technical term for the shouting is Cackling.
They run around saying
"I've laid an EGGGG, laid an EGGGG"
You'll know it when you hear it.
Odd really, you'd think they'd do it quietly to avoid predators and egg thieves.

Yes, different breeders call hybrids from the same parents by different names.
I have Black Rocks (Rhode Island Red / Plymouth Rock) like your black one, and once had a Kingsley Blue (?/Marran) like the grey one. I think Black Rock is a registered trade mark, for birds bred from that particular strain of parents.

[Mo]

Ok, I confess....last weekend (the luxery of 4 days off work over Easter) I did chicken spying. I basically watched who disappeared into the coop then pounced as soon as she emerged to retrieve the egg. ...........

I think we've all done that with our first hens.

2 weeks in with my 5 ex batts and they're still giving me 3 or 4 eggs every day

You've been lucky then. Sometimes the shock of the move means that they lay the eggs that were in the pipeline (2? 4? not sure quite I only know about exbatts from reading here) then have a week or two off to get used to things.
Long may it continue.

[LittleBrownFrog]

My ex-bats were all laying when I got them & continued to do so without a break - much to my surprise. They're almost 2 years out now, and home-grown eggs are a rare treasure around here at the moment.

[jackian]

I have 2 ginger rangers their eggs are both brown but little Rosies are freckly and rounder than Poppys whos are slightly bigger.The 2 Miss pepperpots ..Clover has larger eggs but are paler in colour and Evas are browner but always has a crease marks on them...2 nest boxes and they all lay in the same box and all next too each other.

[Benny&Co]

As I got to know our girls, I got to know their egg colour and shape etc.

Our Dottie makes pale cream coloured eggs, she's black/ginger - having said that, it's very much when she feels like it as I think she's taken early retirement!!!

Elsie and Hilda's eggs in colour are pretty similar, but every now and then Elsie will make a huge whopper of an egg!! Elsie is grey/white stripey and Hilda is ginger

[aishakali]

I get 1 egg a day, from little Dolly. Perfect light brown eggs, all practically identical and they taste beautiful