Clues that your hens will start laying soon.

[Fancie]

I have had my chickens for over a year and have not got one egg (that I know of.) Springs coming around and I am starting to get impatient... so I wanted to know.. what are some clues (If any) that will tell me that my hens will start laying soon....

 

[katrinag]

They will squat for you. There combs and wattles redden. What breed are they? Do they free range?

 

[Fancie]

they are silkies

(only pic I have, my roo's in front and his clan behind him

It was taken fall of last year.

They free range sometimes, but arn't left out every day and they have been cooped up for most of the winter.

At first I thought I hadn't got any eggs cause I didn't provide them with nestboxes, so I made them some towards the end of last year. And winter hit so I knew I wasn't gonna get any last year... But every day I check... hoping and none yet.

 

[katrinag]

This my sound bad but, flip each hen over and look at there vents. You have to hold the feather out of the way. See if the vent in tight and dry or more open and wet. If it is more open and wet more than likely you have a layer that is hiding or eating the eggs. Compare all the hens vents.

 

[Fancie]

I looked on her http://www.albc-usa.org/documents/ALBCchicken_assessment-2.pdf to see what you were talking about... no don't think they are laying yet... worried for a moment.

 

[digitS']

That's good information you found there, Fancie217. And, it sure beats that ridiculous drawing I post now and then. (I'm always worried that someone will pull all the feathers out of the bird. That way, it will look like the drawing so they can see the pelvic bones.

)

You may notice a marked change in behavior of a pullet a few days before laying that 1st egg. They become quite "animated," noisy, and may even seem to be in some distress. I suppose all that is to be expected.

When she seems like she is getting ready for delivery - that's the time to try to get her comfortable with the nest.

Steve

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I always knew that when my hens would start squatting it would be almost exactly a week and I would see an egg. True so far for ALL of my hens...I just tested that theory out on my polish girl who started squatting and a week later...there was a nice white egg waiting for me

 

[berkeley_chicks]

I'm so glad for this posting, because I think my free-range chickens are getting close to laying soon, too, and I've been wondering what the signs are.

Then, this morning, I heard my 17-week old Partridge Plymouth Rock making a lot of noise. That's rare. I went outside to check on them, and even after letting them out of their coop, she continued to follow me and crow. But no eggs in the coop. So! I flipped her over and looked for her vent - which, thanks to the (somewhat icky) pdf that Fancie217 posted, I can tell that she's either very close to laying, or she's hiding them somewhere in the yard. I'll keep them in their run for the next few days and see what happens.

I came to work so excited about the prospect of our first egg...but I can't tell anyone at work about it (and especially about the vent test!) so I'm glad to be able to tell all of you

Will keep you posted w/ photos!!

Sarah

 

[Fancie]

don't chickens need so many hours of sunlight to lay well... or is it once they lay they simply don't stop.


Thanks again everyone for your info. get anxious

 

[MaryLouise]

I have my first egg today. Yeah!

It was one of my silver-laced Wyandottes. Last night I noticed she had dug out a perfect little round nest in the pine shaving and was making all kinds of cooing and clucking noises. Today I let them out of their run for a bit and she headed right back into the coop and to that nest. About 10 min later we had our first egg. It is small but perfect. I hope they will get bigger. They were hatched Oct 1st so they are just over 19 weeks old.

I've got some wooden eggs coming next week. Will that really help to get them to lay in the nest boxes?

The first egg is really exciting isn't it! I haven't had chickens since I was in high school (which was ages ago) and they are so much fun! I'm hooked.
Mary Louise