chickens finally laying eggs

[tonya in broadway]

HI all ................so glad the site it back up and looks great..........
I have 13 hens.......4 barred rocks, 3 buff orph 1 silkie and 1 bantam 4 golden comets
just started getting eggs jan 3 the most i have gotten in a day is 5 i was just wondering if there is any way to tell which ones are laying i have been trying to catch them but that hasnt worked. and its never first thing in the morning. I dont have a rooster someone thought that might be why. thanks for any help in advance. I am a newbie bought all of them as chicks over the summer................

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Hey tonya, welcome!! Great question about finding who laid what. I wish I had an answer for you as I've had this problem too. When I worked from home it was easier to tell who the girl was because she'd be on an empty nest and when she left, there was an egg... oh, and the fact that most of my girls are "singers" post egg laying helps a bit. I also have a ton of diversity in birds, so the eggs are pretty different from one anther: look at the bottom of this page here: http://www.nifty-stuff.com/new-chickens.php

Hopefully somebody smarter than me (and that's pretty much everyone here) can give us a good answer.

 

[tonya in broadway]

wow......love the eggs..........mine look similar. thanks i keep spying....................

 

[eggchel]

There are several ways to tell who is laying:

First, the obvious..... watch them. Easier than it sounds, LOL.

Second, as mentioned.... listen to them. Hens often make a very different bawking after laying. Look to see who is "bragging".

Next, look at their combs. Hens who are laying have bright red combs and wattles (with the exception of a breed like
silkies). Those who arent laying will have pink comb and wattles that gradually get darker as their hormone levels increase when they get closer to laying.

Finally, turn them around (or over) and take a good look a their vent. A hen that is laying will have a larger, rosier, moist and healthy looking vent compared to one who is not laying whose vent will appear paler, drier, and smaller.

There is also something about feeling how wide the gap is between their pelvic bones, but I can help you there.

chel

 

[tonya in broadway]

wow thanks for all the good info.......since i posted i did catch one of the golden comets. otherwise its really hard to catch them laying. i had 6 eggs on saturday so i guess at least 6 hens are laying thats the most i have had in a day to date.................i will check out there body parts .................thanks again tonya