Can I watch my hen lay?

[jonara]

Yesterday I saw one of my two hens go in her nest box (my hens are free range) to lay. I wanted to go out there and watch but I was afraid it would make her nervous and not use the nest box (especially since her and her sister had made other nests on the property that we had to hunt down and find) My chickens are super social..they love me hanging out w/ them and follow me everywhere...but not sure that carries over into laying time.

 

[ChickenToes]

Try it and see! I've had hens lay in front of me before.

 

[Headcock]

You can watch, my RiR stomps her feet, and shoots out an egg.

 

[mrbstephens]

Not all hens are comfortable with this. Some, when you open the nesting box will leave, but Trixie, my LB has laid right in front of me. Once my son came running in with an egg yelling, "mom I watched this egg come right out of Trixie's butt!"

 

[sgtmom52]

I have seen my hens lay several times. My avatar is my one of my SLW as she laid her very first egg ever ~ standing up! I just happened to have my camera handy at the time.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I have seen all my hens lay except my buttercup. She wants privacy.

 

[BlackBart]

When I was a little girl (pre-school) I would sit in the hen house and wait for the hens to lay a egg.
Yup, no TV/Computers/Video games, grew up out in the boonies on a farm, not much organized entertainment so we made our own.
Hens didn't care if I was there, maybe because we grew up together and I was small.

 

[Mahonri]

With the exceptions of a couple of my leghorns and my ancona, I've been able to watch and sometimes 'catch' the eggs as they are being laid.

 

[jonara]

Love all these stories lol! Esp growing up sitting in the hen house waiting to see the hens lay ..what a crack up..and a much better way to grow up observing nature then in front of a video game ;-)

So I went out there today and she was fine until I got too close..she let our one sharp squawk...maybe because she's new at this and her very first clutch she layed in full since I didn't know were she was..and when I found her I had to take all 12 of her eggs out from under her and move her to break her up. She squawked like a crazy woman when I did that. anyways...I backed off after she squawked at me today so I started visiting the rooster and her sister who were hanging out just outside of the coop and gave them some scratch ..she came right down to get some. I thought 'shoot I interrupted her'..but after they were done eating she went right back up and layed.

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Should be no problem.....my hens are so used to me, sometimes I feel like I'm being ignored!! They have even layed in my hand as I was "reaching under" to check for eggs and suddenly realized that she was straining...just turned my hand over and caught the egg....priceless! Have fun!!