Apparently it's HER day.

[prancie]

I believe that one of my hens is going to lay her first egg today.

I have 4 BO hens and so far only one of them is laying. She has been for 3 weeks or so. I've noticed a lot of egg laying behaviors from the other hens but no other eggs yet. This morning I heard egg song 3 times. I thought it seemed unlikely that all 3 remaining hens would choose to lay on the same day. Every time I went out there were no eggs.

So my 2 year old and I went out to look for a hidden nest and found nothing, when we went back in the barn I heard the egg song again! The hen was in the barn by the nest boxes making a huge fuss, but there were no eggs to be found. It's been this ONE HEN making the egg song all morning long. She reminds me of a woman in labor, pacing around, kind of unsure of where she wants to be.

THe rest of the flock dutifully congregates whenever she sings her song and sometimes they join in, it's pretty cute.

Has anyone had a hen sing the egg song BEFORE laying???

 

[Kittymomma]

Yep! Some of mine "practiced" for a few days before doing the deed. I even have a few of my molting hens that aren't laying or are barely laying, still go in and sit in the boxes and sing their song even though there is no egg. It's always a good sign when a pullet starts doing it though.

 

[prancie]

SHE DID IT!!! There were 2 eggs in the nest box this afternoon!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!


My BO did the same thing the day she laid. Pacing back and forth to the coop. Then voila, she laid her egg.

 

[gsim]

I've got 4 breeds pullets and some of each breed has done what you describe. I have had one in a nest twittering while she was laying and two others squawking away at her to get out of that nest so they can do their eggs. Thing is, there were 11 other nests there and 10 were empty at that time! Chickens !

 

[Darlasmum]

Congrats Prancie! I have a BR who has been doing the song every couple of days for 2 weeks now- and am still waiting for that 1st egg. I feel like a G-ma pacing the waiting room. One of my BOs sometimes chimes in w/ her. None of my three are laying yet- but I am trying to be patient.