How to tell which hens are laying well?

[NYREDS]

I use the what I call the rooster method. If her feathers are rough or gone on her back that means the rooster is doing his job and she is laying. He will only mate with a laying hen. Also if the hen is all feathered and looks really good. I don't think she is doing her job.

Not sure where you got the idea that a male will only breed a female that's laying but I assure you you're mistaken.

 

[ellen enloe]

want to know how you can tell if a chicken is laying went to the site poof i found my answer thanks. i have 14 hens and 19 young hens

 

[OrganicMamma]

Thanks for all these great posts! I've got 14 red sex-links that I'm trying to assess as to who the best layers are (not the easiest thing in the winter, I know...) I found this one web site that said the colour of the hens legs was really important. Also the size of the vent. Has anyone had any experience with this method?

 

[thewobsers]

WOW! Thank you so much for the pdf info on how to know which hens are producing eggs or not.
Such a great help!

 

[VictorX]

PDF information was the best thing I've read to date on determining production. Short, concise and easy to read. Thanks

 

[thundercloud]

This is a good thread.

I grew up on a farm and we kept chickens. Mom and dad used the pelvic bone to determine if a hen was laying or not. It did not always work but I think it would have if they had used some of the other methods mentioned here too. Our chickens were free range.

Some things I learned as a kid about chickens.
1. One of the boldest creatures on this planet is a very angry hen defending her chicks.
2. Free range chickens can be very creative when it comes to finding ways to get into your garden.
3. Once in the garden they can ruin a lot of vegetables in a short period of time by taking a bite or two out of each one.
4. Never underestimate the intelligence of a chicken.

Not too long ago I came across a forum where a lady was talking about using her chickens as a form of organic pest control in her garden. She said it was a brilliant idea but was frustrated too. She said she kept telling her hens not to eat the vegetables "But they just don't listen." She reminded me of the person who once called the state highway department to complain about the placement of a deer crossing sign. She said that the sign had been put in an area where there was a lot of traffic and when the deer saw the sign they would mistakenly think it was safe to cross there.

 

[SSAcres]

Excellent thread for sure. The PDF was very helpful. Guess whose chickens are getting "probed" today?

They are still pullets, but I'd like to know who is all laying and who isn't. They're all the same breed and free range so it's impossible for me to tell who is laying and who isn't, but after the last count of eggs from the last 3-4 days I've convinced myself that they all are. For first timers at 6 months old I don't think they're doing to bad.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Wow! Things have changed! I started this thread when we had our first pullets back in 2009. Was very surprised to see it pop to the top of the thread list this morning.

As a follow-up: I gave up on figuring out who is laying what egg. If I happen to see a hen leave a nest box and there's one warm egg inside and it's the right color for her, I'll write it down (they're all leg-banded with numbers). Otherwise, I'm sure that there are some freeloaders out there. But with 35-45 eggs/day, there's still no good way for me to figure things out.

 

[Rolleej]

Eggcellent link. Very, very informative. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Rolleej]

Eggcellent link. Very very informative. Thanks for Sharing