Add this to the list of "Things I never thought I'd ask"

[AmyRey]

So I'm reading that you can tell whether or not a chicken has been laying by looking at her vent.

I know what a nonlaying hen's vent looks like.
Anybody have a picture of a laying hen's vent?

Please don't tell anyone that I just asked that. lol

 

[Happy Chooks]

Hmmm, I'll be interested to see the responses.

Maybe I'm not looking close enough, but to me, the vent looks the same.

 

[thechickenchick]

 

[mylilchix]

I've checked

. Non-laying hens vents are tight and dry. My layers vents look stretched out and are moist. I don't think I'd be able to get a picture of one for you unfortunately, they won't sit still that long.

Sonja

 

[LittleFeat]

Hey why don't you get them to sit on a xerox machine!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

This brings to my mind the late summer of 2007 when someone posted a closeup shot of her hen's vent while asking a perfectly legitimate question.

She got her question answered just fine, but then someone said that the photo looked like her elderly Aunt Susan, and the jokes took off from there, complete with Photoshopped versions featuring hats, pearls, eyeglasses, etc.

It was hysterical.

 

[warmfuzzies]

Ahhh Buff....

Anyway, I agree, they look looser and stretched out, but I think the most important thing is the bleaching. Bleaching occurs in stages, according to how lond the hen had been laying. Eyes, beak, legs and vent can all bleach, and they go from the normal yellow color to a washed out version. They go back to the yellow color when the hens stop laying, like for the molt.

 

[AmyRey]

Well, until I read the thing about the differences in vents this morning... I guess I never really realized that it could signify eggs being laid. Don't know why I didn't put those two things together.

I noticed last night (was checking the girls for mites) that one of our hens has a vent that looks - I cannot believe I'm saying this - more like a *whispers* vajayjay than a *whispers again* bottom.

Oh gosh. Can I say those words here?

*** Hangs head in shame ***

Does this mean that eggs have ALREADY been layed? Or that they're just impending?

Ya'll will be SO glad when chickens aren't so new to me anymore.

Edited to add: Oh! I guess I can't say one of those! lol

 

[Brindlebtch]

 

[shawnm2639]

Well I guess this thread has the answers to another post I made somewhere else....All I have to do is check vents..beats crawling around under the house.

<----my hens when I tell them to line up