The day after Christmas my favorite feathered friends delighted us by laying their very first egg! These hens came to us in August, so are actually ahead of schedule when it comes to laying. Equally impressive is that we are in a crazy bonkers cold snap here in Minnesota with temperatures averaging 10 to 20 BELOW ZERO for the last week. I was initially thinking the egg came from one of our two ISA Browns, a breed known for laying around 20 weeks of age; but we also seem to have a delightfully broody Amberlink on our hands, so it’s possible we have two layers right now!

Here are a few things we’ve learned over our first few days of egg collecting:

EGGS START OUT SMALL

Our first egg started out about 1.5 inches long and the size hasn’t really changed with the subsequent ones we’ve collected. Apparently the eggs will get progressively bigger over time, reaching full size after a few months.

EGGS FREEZE AND BURST IN UBER COLD TEMPS

Like I said, Minnesota is experiencing a wild cold snap right now and we found out that eggs will eventually freeze and burst when left in the coop too long. We’re now checking for eggs several times each day to avoid losing one to the deep freeze.

CHICKENS LAY ABOUT EVERY 25 HOURS

According to my helpful chicken forums, hens ovulate (usually in the mornings) and then lay an egg about 25 hours later. This means that you’ll be collecting eggs a little later each day and may miss a day here and there.

EGG COLLECTING REINVIGORATES EVERYONE’S INTEREST IN CHICKENS

My nine-year-old daughter was by my side for the entire summer of chicken chores, but has definitely lost interest since the run is closed up and the temperatures have dropped. Now she, AND my husband, are bundling up – without me asking – several times each day just to check for eggs. I guess it’s true what they say; the family that chickens together…stays weird together. (Seriously, people say that.)

So, how about it, fellow chicken lovers? What else do we need to know as we begin our egging journey? Share your tips!