29 week old EE sitting daily but not laying!

[rachel]

I have two EE's, Moxie and Roxy. Moxie's comb turned red around 21-22 weeks and she started "squatting" when I pet her a little after that. Roxy began all of this about two weeks later and began laying about a week or so after that. Meanwhile, Moxie has been sitting in the nest almost daily (for about two months now) and makes the "I laid an egg" sound when she exits, but has yet to lay an egg. What's the deal here?? Is she just living up to her name, or is something not right? I've searched around the yard and under all the bushes, she's not hiding them...

 

[ella]

It's perfectly normal, she's just practicing. You'll probably get your first egg from her in the next week or two.

 

[ndngirl]

Only one of my EE's is laying too. Sasha is the sweetest girl. She began laying on Sept. 9 (around her 22nd week). She began pacing back and forth and looking frantic about 4 days before the first egg. She also became....er...friendly? around that time.

Hazel is more like Witch Hazel. She is showing no signs of laying at all, and none of the associated behaviors like sitting, squating, or being more friendly (in fact, she's our only anti-social girl!). She is taking her sweet time with the eggs.

It seems they each have their own internal agendas, but don't worry, the eggs will come!

 

[rachel]

Thanks folks. It's just so frustrating going out there every morning after she gets off the nest and it being empty! Hopefully she'll start before she hits 8 months old, I'm really anxious to see what color her eggs will be!!

 

[rachel]

okay, it's been nearly another month since I first posted this. She's nearing 8 weeks old and hasn't started laying. Has anyone else had an EE wait 8 months before laying her first egg?
Has anyone had a hen that just didn't lay? Maybe I got a broken chicken.

 

[LynnGrigg]

I have 5 ees, all 25 weeks. Only one is laying. I have one who has been mating and I thought...any day now. She's doing the same as yours...she fusses, then she makes the "I laid an egg" claim only no egg. Now another of the ees is mating. I'm wondering if they'll ever lay an egg or just have lots of sex and "talk" about it. lol! While it is frustrating, I still enjoy watching their behavior. My husband is getting a big kick over learning chicken speak too.

 

[Hellebore]

I have 3 EE and 2 have been laying for several weeks. The 3rd one is doing exactly what you describe. She is now 27+ weeks old. I am also very curious about the egg color. One of the ones that is laying has a blue-green egg, often very oversized with a double yolk, and the other one has an army green egg that is blue on the inside of the shell. I have read (on this forum) that those eggs are blue with an overlay of brown.

 

[Hellebore]

Just to make a liar out of me, she layed an egg today!! It is a pretty light blue.