Maybe this info I gleaned off my birds might help some of you looking for eggs. I've been waiting on eggs for like 8 weeks now, or close to it, from atleast my 2 year old hen. Finally got one day before yesterday, and she was showing some strong indicaters starting about 2 days prior. I spend A LOT of time watching them, maybe too much? LOL - She drinks more water, more often than any other chicken I have. - She spends more time in the coop. - She picks out the oyster shell more frequently than the others. - She "talks" more, specially when it gets closer and closer to egg time. She was pacing in the coop at 2pm the day she laid, and finally dropped the egg at 3pm. - She doesn't stray as far from the coop, if it's early afternoon, her apparent laying time. - She is more willing with the rooster than the others. - Her "butt" is more distended than the others, and is noticably "fuller" than say, last week. She used to look like the others, not as fluffy under her tail, but since a couple days prior to her laying, she's really fluffed up under the tail. Like there's an egg in there! Maybe I'll get another today! The clear sign I was getting an egg day before last though, that made me sit out there wait (it's very exciting!) was the pacing inside the coop "looking" for a nest area, and the loud bawking as she did so. She acted like she was on a mission.
Yes, it's exciting to get that first egg, and to watch the behavior of the hen leading up to it. It came upon me unawares; I came out to the coop in the morning and saw what I thought was one of the dummy eggs on the floor. When I picked it up, I realized it was a genuine egg! The second hen started laying a day or so later, the third one the next week, and now just a few days ago, the smallest hen has started laying. Now I get three or four eggs a day from my little flock.
