15 week old chickens

[Gem84]

I've just heard one of my 5 15 week old chickens doing the 'egg song'. I'm worried because I went out to check on them, I found no egg but the other 4 were all chirping. Not sure if this is something they do at this age ? Any advice would be fab... I'm a first time chicken keeper

 

[nchls school]

I've just heard one of my 5 15 week old chickens doing the 'egg song'. I'm worried because I went out to check on them, I found no egg but the other 4 were all chirping. Not sure if this is something they do at this age ? Any advice would be fab... I'm a first time chicken keeper

Most breeds do not start laying so early. What breed do you own? And welcome to the group.

 

[Gem84]

Hi they are rhode island bantams. This is why I was worried. I did read they can start the song before they lay but it wasn't a trusted site just a comment xx

 

[Gem84]

I'm not thinking she is laying I just find it extremely weird as to why she would do this. My neighbours have chickens that do the song regular.. could they just be copying

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - glad that you have joined us.

You'll find lots of info in the Learning Centre
https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center, and if you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.


Best wishes
CT

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Blooie]

I've just heard one of my 5 15 week old chickens doing the 'egg song'. I'm worried because I went out to check on them, I found no egg but the other 4 were all chirping. Not sure if this is something they do at this age ? Any advice would be fab... I'm a first time chicken keeper

Don't worry...she's just practicing! Mine do the same thing, usually starting a few weeks before that first egg shows up. She'll also start practicing sitting in the nest, arranging and rearranging the bedding in there, and she'll probably start squatting in a couple of weeks too. So relax...she's right on track.

 

[Gem84]

Don't worry...she's just practicing!  Mine do the same thing, usually starting a few weeks before that first egg shows up.  She'll also start practicing sitting in the nest, arranging and rearranging the bedding in there, and she'll probably start squatting in a couple of weeks too.  So relax...she's right on track.

She's been pulling all the straw from the coop then pitting it into a corner in the run. I've been putting it back into the boxes lol xx

 

[drumstick diva]

She's healthy right? Eating and drinking and pooping fine. Just ignore her. Chickens are chickens, hard to know why they choose to do anything.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

15 weeks is a bit early for a pullet to be thinking about laying, but I have heard of some breeds starting at around 16+ weeks. What does her comb look like? If it starts turning bright red, it's a signal for the cockerel that she is approaching laying, or actively laying. (This occurs naturally, regardless of whether or not there is a male present). Her pelvis will be wider and if you look at her vent it will be moist and pink.

There is also a simple test you can do to check if your hen is laying/ getting ready to. Hold the hen firmly and turn her on her back. Put your fingers on her breast bone and work your way down to her vent area. You should feel 2 bones sticking up. These are her pelvic bones. If you can fit only 1 finger upright between her pelvic bones she's still roughly 4 weeks off laying, 1 and 1/2 fingers means she's a little closer, 2/3 weeks and 2 or more fingers means she's either close to or laying already.