Egg song with no egg

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Kyanite

Kyanite

Loving Life!
May 27, 2016
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SE Idaho
Hi all! I have a 16.5 week old Black Australorp pullet who began belting out the egg song yesterday while I was standing right there. She had not laid, but still stood tall and bock bock bock ba-GAAAWKed. She's one of my gals who has reddened up, and has decent comb development. But judging from pics I've seen of BA hens, she's not fully developed just yet.

It got me all excited about eggs hopefully soon. It's been a loooong time since I've raised chicks (try my childhood oh... 20+ years back) but I can't ever recall the young pullets trying out the egg song before actually laying. I was just curious if others have experienced this? Was the gal just practicing? lol
 
Thanks. It's kind of funny. She seemed almost startled that she was able to make such a loud squawk at the end of it all.

Does anyone have any experience with how far ahead of the egg laying some pullets might start practicing the song? Not that I'm impatient or anything...
lau.gif
 
I don't have a direct answer for that, but most goofy behaviors start up to a month before they begin to lay.
 
If I remember correctly, BA's are supposed to start laying at 22 weeks, but it can vary between 18-30 weeks. They are individuals too! ;)
I find it very funny when the young ones make a new noise, how much it startles everybody! LOL!
 
Do you have an update?
My barred rock, 18 weeks, had similar characteristics. She made a nest in my flower bed, sat on the nest for 20 minutes, then sang the egg song... She repeated this cycle 4 or 5 times this past Saturday. She was acting normal on Sunday. Monday morning, I went to the coop and found 2 broken soft shell eggs. Not sure if they were stepped on or pecked? The girls (we have 6 that are all the same age, different breeds) were all standing around the shells and were VERY aware of their presence.
Anyway, no more eggs have arrived in the 3 days since then.
 
Still no eggs from any of the gals. But today I was in the house (100 yards maybe from the coop) and could hear the egg song going like crazy. I tried to get my shoes on and see if it was the same pullet, but my approach brought and end to the singing. Instead they all wanted me to let them out of the run for some free range time. I checked the coop and run thoroughly and there was no egg, but the exploration of the nest boxes has continued and one box in particular is now full of feathers. Hubby saw what the thought was a successful mating of one of the BA pullets by the cockerel a couple days ago. The cockerel has stopped the surprise ambush of the pullets and is now doing the dance instead. So, I think we are close.
 
The cockerel has tried to mimick the egg song a few times. He's no good at it. lol I don't even have to look now to know if it's him instead of the pullet.
 
I was worried yesterday that I may have gotten a rooster in the bunch. i have 3 brown hens about 20 weeks who have recently started laying. yesterday the largest got on top of the compost bin and started clucking out he LOUDEST egg song I have ever heard. It was never a crow. I am getting 2 eggs per day now but not sure which is laying. Happy egg days are here.
 

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