Are there EGGS in my future? YEAH! WE HAVE AN EGG!!

[navychick]

We have 12 girls just over 5 months old. We live in Michigan and I assume the cold, cloudy weather plays a role in egg laying. YESTERDAY, when I let them out to wander our yard as I do each morning, they ran up to our house for their treats as they always do BUT 2 of my Barred Rocks (which are the 2 of my flock that seem the most mature) turned and ran back to me and squatted. What a sweet and exciting moment!!
TODAY they were so noisy that I went out EARLIER than usual to see if everything was OK, I have never heard them from inside our house before. They seem to be "Brrraucking". Assured that they were fine and nothing was threatening them I let them out. Now they are wandering on their route around our yard but they are VERY noisy. Whats UP? If they are preparing to lay should I not have let them out as I want them to lay in their lovely NESTING boxes NOT all over our yard. Any Advice?

 

[TinyChickenLady]

It sure sounds like they are getting ready to lay!

 

[bairo]

yep. they need to be in the enclosed run or coop the first several times they lay to get used to getting the eggs where they belong. otherwise they will find bushes and such to hide them on you. once they lay someplace besides the coop, it can sometimes be difficult to break them of that first spot (i know from experience)

 

[navychick]

Quote:
Since I'll never get them back in today I guess I'll keep them in tomorrow.
They won't be too happy though.

 

[navychick]

OMG, I am a NERVOUS WRECK! The Noisy BR has gone back in the coop (NEVER done that before) I feel the same way I do when our dog is having puppies. I won't get anything done today until she comes out.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Consider keeping them "cooped up" for the next month. I would, however, give them release time after 2:30 in the afternoon, a time after which most of them will have laid, if they are going to lay that day. With the bitter cold weather that is coming, free time from 2:30-4:30 is all they'd likely desire anyhow.

This "training period" is important. I dislike egg hunts and want to be sure my point of lay pullets master the nesting box. A month of not going outside until the laying is done seems to fix upon them the right behavior. Generally, once they have this down, they are trustworthy and they'll return to the coop/nesting box to lay, even from quite far away.

BTW, the ba-gawking thing is not just for egg laying. They seem to use that call for a host of things. POL pullets are quite excitable will ba-gawk over an amazing array of things that startle them, dis-agree with them, or just upset them in any way. Some are so quiet and confident, while others.......??? Geeeesh!

 

[navychick]

Our First Egg! How cool is this. I am so proud of her!

 

[auto5man]

Awesome! To quote a movie line of John Travolta's..."Ain't it COOL?". I ended up with a little different, maybe unconventional approach, to egglaying location. My first to lay was my 'night house chicken' Buff Orpington, and when she got close to laying she would come to the door and peck on the glass, so I would let her inside and she would get inside her roost box. This was a Rubbermaid tub with 2x4 stretched across the top, for laying I cut a box (it was a liq store wine bottle box) and put a nest of shavings in the bottom and put this in the bottom of the Rubbermaid tub. Well she took right to it. When the next hen started getting ready, I quit bringing Goldie inside to lay and left the box on the back porch, I guess the girls like to copycat each other b/c I have 4 laying now and they all use this box. I think they like it b/c it's nice and secluded, after getting inside first the rubbermaid tub and then the nest box inside of that. So I have changed my nestbox plan a bit, first I was going with the nest box attached to the coop style, but now I'm planning on building sort of a free-standing nest box. That way I can move it freely if need be. My girls free-range all day, but eventually I plan a large run attached to the coop so we can keep them safe while on vacation/out of town. At that point I'll just move the nest box to the run, and when we return will move the box back to the porch. It's very convenient to step outside the door to retrieve the eggs, plus very entertaining to watch the nesting behaviors from the back door.

One of the reasons I got a backyard flock was for the learning experience it would provide for my daughters (6 and 9 yr old) and they have alot of fun watching and interacting with the flock. I like to provide learning experiences for them apart from the modern hi-tech cellphone, iPad, laptop, video game, etc ...world that we've become these days. I have to admit though, that my wife and I get just as much entertainment and enjoyment as the children do!

 

[CarolJ]

Congrats on the first egg! That is so exciting. I've found that the first egg ever is most exciting, but it is also fun when a new pullet lays her first egg.

 

[navychick]

Quote:
Did she come IN YOUR HOUSE. That is very cool.