(Almost) mature hen sitting on eggs

[Ganesh-Saahd]

Hi

I have a funny situation here.
I have a young hen (almost 26 weeks old) that doesn't lay yet (Hybrid between ameraucana and merlan). I know that she doesn't lay because she will lay blue eggs, which I don't have at the moment. Anyway. My 6 others hens are laying regularly (once a day, or almost).

So, that young hen waits for them to lay and after that, she will go in the nest and sits on the egg! I watched her. She will place carefully the egg under her and make herself comfortable and very flat on them. If I pick her up and move the egg a bit, she will arrange them carefully again and sits. She doesn't growl, she doesn't puff herself. She's just sitting in there for 30 minutes to 1 hour and after that, she will go outside and do her chickens things.

She is being very vocal, talkative (not very loud). A very low, but continuous cawking.

I stayed once in the coop for 20 minutes while she was doing that. She sang the chicken egg after 20 minutes, that liar

She doesn't seems broody, since she will go out after a very shot while. She eats, drinks... She almost at the bottom of the pecking order.

Also, she's almost mature. Her comb is very red now. 3 weeks ago, she wasn't crouching near us, (submission, ready to mate). Now she does. She was still sitting on the eggs however.
She's never in the nest if there is no egg. I picked them up this morning. She sat there a bit longer (like 5 minutes) and went outside.

Any though on this behavior ? Is she "practicing?" haha!

I'm putting a picture of my fake singing-the-egg-song egg layer

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sounds like she's just exploring nesting boxes and about to come into lay.

One thing I've learned is that chickens are weirdos. They do some odd things. I don't think she's broody. I rarely have a hen that goes broody and I mean rarely - I can go out there when one of my hens is laying an egg - doesn't matter which hen and give her an egg- she will take and tuck it under. It's just something mine have always done. Sometimes I've had another hen go in and settle on some eggs for a while - who knows why - maybe they were warmed a bit from the hen that was just there, maybe they just want to take a break and look like they are working? ... weirdos

 

[aart]

(Hybrid between ameraucana and merlan)

What is a "merlan"?
Never heard of that breed.

Sure sounds like a close to laying pullet, they can make a real racket!

 

[Ganesh-Saahd]

What is a "merlan"?
Never heard of that breed.

Sure sounds like a close to laying pullet, they can make a real racket!

The actual hybrid name actually is Merlan bleu (blue merlan). My bad.

 

[aart]

The actual hybrid name actually is Merlan bleu (blue merlan).

Still not finding any info googling it.
Just curious because you may not get blue the eggs you're looking for...
.....and she may well be laying.

 

[FeatherLace]

Still not finding any info googling it.
Just curious because you may not get blue the eggs you're looking for...
.....and she may well be laying.

Maybe they mean blue Maran?

 

[Ganesh-Saahd]

New breed around here. They have the generics and all. She came from a big place. There have several of them, and they are laying blue eggs

I watched her enough to know that she isn't. I'm catching her ofter getting in the nest while the 6 eggs are already over there. If you want you can contact Generation Grain Nature. They speak english. The hens are not on their website.
They bought the chicks from a breeder somewhere in West Canada or in the US

 

[Ganesh-Saahd]

Genetics* I mean