6 birds, 4 eggs a day. who not laying?

[Nangirac]

3 reds, 3 plimoth rock. Hathched in early April. Started laying end of August. Now consistantly 4 eggs a day, how do ai find out the ones not laying?

 

[kitkat5505]

Check their vents and pelvic bones. My layers vents look different than the non-layers. Also if their pelvic bones are 2 finger width apart or less they probably aren't laying, wider are laying. It's also possible that all are laying but not all every day. 2 of my 4 layers only lay about 4 days a week, the other 2 are every day.

Also only 5 of my 8 26-27 week pullets have laid and neither of my 22 week pullets are laying.

 

[bobbi-j]

They may all be laying, just not every one on every day.

 

[AllynTal]

I assume when they started laying, you were getting 6 eggs a day for a while. With decreased daylight hours coming into Fall, they may be taking turns not laying. Your reds are Production Reds or Rhode Island Reds? They're too young to be molting, so it is likely that the decreased amount of daylight is slowing down their egg-laying cycle and not everyone is laying an egg every day.

I'm assuming you have already checked for parasites and other health-related stressors. If you have never gotten 6 eggs a day and you're thinking that not everyone is laying yet, you can check the vents. The ones that are laying have vents that are looser -- like a little stretched out -- then the girls that aren't laying, and the layers lose some color in the vent area, like it gets paler. The comb and wattles get a blush of color and become more prominent, too.

 

[sawilliams]

They could all be laying... comb color is your first clue. A pullet the will squat a you near it is your second, you might have to glide your hand over like your going to pick it up or pet it. Pullets inspecting the nest. Sings in or after leaving the nest (the egg song) some first timers will sing without leaving a egg the first few trys. Then theres the body check the easiest is the 3 finger space described above, basicly you find the plevic bone and place going too to bottom 1,2,3 fingers until you feel the breast bone. Vent check is easy but a little harder first time hold then secure you have to look though the feathers to find the vent (heavy feathered breeds are harder to find) the vent should look smaller dry and sort of flat if she had never laided, larger, moistn and rounded if she had laided.

YOU can also watch for personality changes though this isn't always clear. Shy to social or social to shy would be the most obvious. Staying away from other layers then suddenly joining in the girl party can be another, though since yours are closer in age so non layers might not seperate from the layers. In mixed age flocks pullets will often keep thier distance untill laying when they seem to become fully fledged members of the flock

 

[Nangirac]

I assume when they started laying, you were getting 6 eggs a day for a while. With decreased daylight hours coming into Fall, they may be taking turns not laying. Your reds are Production Reds or Rhode Island Reds? They're too young to be molting, so it is likely that the decreased amount of daylight is slowing down their egg-laying cycle and not everyone is laying an egg every day.

I'm assuming you have already checked for parasites and other health-related stressors. If you have never gotten 6 eggs a day and you're thinking that not everyone is laying yet, you can check the vents. The ones that are laying have vents that are looser -- like a little stretched out -- then the girls that aren't laying, and the layers lose some color in the vent area, like it gets paler. The comb and wattles get a blush of color and become more prominent, too.

Rhode Island Reds. Never got 6 eggs.
So I'll check the vent (that wil be a new adventure!) If I find two that the vents are 'tight', then what? Is it possable that they will never lay? Some egss are lighter than the others. Reds have browner eggs?

 

[Nangirac]

They could all be laying... comb color is your first clue. A pullet the will squat a you near it is your second, you might have to glide your hand over like your going to pick it up or pet it. Pullets inspecting the nest. Sings in or after leaving the nest (the egg song) some first timers will sing without leaving a egg the first few trys. Then theres the body check the easiest is the 3 finger space described above, basicly you find the plevic bone and place going too to bottom 1,2,3 fingers until you feel the breast bone. Vent check is easy but a little harder first time hold then secure you have to look though the feathers to find the vent (heavy feathered breeds are harder to find) the vent should look smaller dry and sort of flat if she had never laided, larger, moistn and rounded if she had laided.

YOU can also watch for personality changes though this isn't always clear. Shy to social or social to shy would be the most obvious. Staying away from other layers then suddenly joining in the girl party can be another, though since yours are closer in age so non layers might not seperate from the layers. In mixed age flocks pullets will often keep thier distance untill laying when they seem to become fully fledged members of the flock

Regarding the 'squat'. I have noticed that when I touch them behind the neck/back , they squat, and 'bottom up' ( like I'm a rooster ?!?!?!?) what does that indicate?

 

[sawilliams]

Yes that

Regarding the 'squat'. I have noticed that when I touch them behind the neck/back , they squat, and 'bottom up' ( like I'm a rooster ?!?!?!?) what does that indicate?

Would be the squat you are looking for. Some dominate hens won't want to squat even though they are laying.

My 3rd lays a nice medium almost crayon brown egg, but if they are mixed or feed store chicks the could lay lighter. I'm not sure on the plymouth rocks but I would guess a light brown almost tan or cream looking.

At thier best most of my girls only lay 3-4 days in a row then take 1 day off. With 6 if they are laying at full production you might see a full 6 about once every 1-2 weeks, but with fall coming most will slow down some might stop, not all chickens will last they l thru thier first winter.

Btw you indicate they are about 6 months? Most start laying 4-5months but some individuals as well as some breeds simply take longer. If there are any that aren't then likely just need more time

 

[AllynTal]

Rhode Island Reds. Never got 6 eggs.
So I'll check the vent (that wil be a new adventure!) If I find two that the vents are 'tight', then what? Is it possable that they will never lay? Some egss are lighter than the others. Reds have browner eggs?

You may as well make friends now with that winking cyclops eye buried in the fluff. It's part of normal health checks to look at the vent when inspecting for parasites. If they're all girls, they'll lay; some just need more time than others. Do you get the same number of lighter and browner eggs each day? After having a variety in the past, I have only one breed at the moment-- all Delawares -- and they lay a variety of shades of brown. They run from very dark brown, like a milk chocolate, up to very light tan, almost white. RIR and Plymouth Rocks are also brown-egg layers and it probably depends more on breeding as to just how brown each one will lay and how much pigment is applied to the egg as it goes through the formation process..

The 'squat' means they are being submissive and responding to something/someone they perceive as dominant. It's a behavior usually associated with a rooster and mating, but hens can also do it when a human touches them. It's an instinctual behavior that comes on with hormones; once they start displaying that behavior, laying isn't far off.

 

[aart]

You may as well make friends now with that winking cyclops eye buried in the fluff. It's part of normal health checks to look at the vent when inspecting for parasites.

Indeed it's good to get familiar, can be hard at first to find it in the fluff.

Vent Appearance:
Dry, tight, and smaller - usually not laying.
Moist, wide, and larger - usually laying.

Pelvic Points, feel for the 2 bony points(pelvic bones F-F) on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.
(Spacing is relative with chickens size and humans finger size.)