Egg Laying Behaviors

[zephyr16]

So my 20 week Wyandotte is puffing up her rear feathers and keeps squatting down like she wants to lay an egg. I free range them in the afternoons and am worried that they will lay the eggs somewhere outside. Should I keep them confined to the coop/small run for awhile till I can see what kind of laying schedule they all make? I have 2 RIR, 2 California Grey and 2 Silver laced Wyandotte, all at 20 weeks. I am planning on making a larger attached run for them but the weather here has been super hot and working outdoors lately has been difficult.

 

[orrpeople]

Free ranging always comes with the risk of an "Easter Egg Hunt," but it sounds like they spend enough time in their coop that they will, most likely, return there to lay - as long as it is open to them while they're out and about. Generally chickens aren't super productive in the afternoons anyway (at least, they tend to taper off then). I would watch them and see how it goes. If you think they're laying elsewhere, locking them in for a few days won't hurt. Best of luck with your girls!

 

[zephyr16]

Well I just checked the coop and there was an egg! Soft shelled but not unexpected as I just added layer pellets to their grower feed in their 5 gal bucket feeder and mixed it all up. I did add oyster shell last week in their pen. Hopefully next ones will be better.

 

[orrpeople]

Well I just checked the coop and there was an egg! Soft shelled but not unexpected as I just added layer pellets to their grower feed in their 5 gal bucket feeder and mixed it all up. I did add oyster shell last week in their pen. Hopefully next ones will be better.

Sounds like you're just about in business!! Yes, sometimes that first egg is very odd! No worries, but some thoughts if it keeps up: In addition to their layer feed, I offer oyster shell free choice in a separate container. I have found that my free range gals take in more protein than cooped up layers (bugs and such), and this can sometimes cause over-production. They end up with soft shelled eggs because their shell producing ability can't keep up with their own egg production. Make sense? I have a few production reds that I really have to watch their protein vs. calcium intake or I get soft shelled eggs. At any rate, that's just something to put in your back pocket if it becomes an issue - otherwise - congrats on the first egg!!!

 

[zephyr16]

They have free access to Oyster shell in their pen. I am going to shorten their free range time for awhile till they settle in with laying and maybe not give them so many veggies or leaves(my garden has been producing well and I give them the excess leaves from cabbage, lettuce, melon rinds, etc.. Maybe they will eat more feed. They had about 5 hrs free ranging time, but I am going to cut it down to maybe 2 hrs for awhile.

 

[orrpeople]

They have free access to Oyster shell in their pen. I am going to shorten their free range time for awhile till they settle in with laying and maybe not give them so many veggies or leaves(my garden has been producing well and I give them the excess leaves from cabbage, lettuce, melon rinds, etc.. Maybe they will eat more feed. They had about 5 hrs free ranging time, but I am going to cut it down to maybe 2 hrs for awhile.

They can still have all the greens and garden goodies you want to give them. I wish my garden were producing this year, but the heat has been unrelenting!!
You always have to do what works best for you, but it probably doesn't hurt them to still have their freedom. They will definitely be happier, and after a while, if things aren't going well, then go ahead and restrict them more. Again though, we all kind of hold to the "my chickens, my rules" kind of thinking around here (although, we all love to give our two cents! ) so definitely do what you think will work best.

 

[zephyr16]

I was afraid that maybe too much garden goodies would meant they would not eat enough of the layer feed. Thanks. I let my Kale get out of hand and my lettuce went to seed so i had a lot for them. They like the finer cabbage leaves but not so keen on the way outer leaves. Darn, now I have to compost them. The watermelon rinds were great in the 100 deg heat but did give them mushier poops. LOL. I had chickens years ago and never really thought about any of this, but I raised they girls and they come when called and seem to like me...

 

[orrpeople]

I was afraid that maybe too much garden goodies would meant they would not eat enough of the layer feed. Thanks. I let my Kale get out of hand and my lettuce went to seed so i had a lot for them. They like the finer cabbage leaves but not so keen on the way outer leaves. Darn, now I have to compost them. The watermelon rinds were great in the 100 deg heat but did give them mushier poops. LOL. I had chickens years ago and never really thought about any of this, but I raised they girls and they come when called and seem to like me...

I love my chickens - seriously! I do think they bond to their people, and they know how to work their way into our hearts!
I had a watermelon scare the other day... red poops!! It totally freaked me out and I was about to treat the whole flock for coccidiosis! And then I remembered what a little piggy that hen had been with her watermelon and looked again. Sure enough. It was just full of watermelon! Go figure!

 

[sumi]

Congrats on the first egg! Sort shelled eggs and other oddities are normal with brand new layers, while they are getting the hang of things

Feed-wise, keep the treats to no more than 10% of their daily food intake and offer it after they had their layer feed. Kinda like you would give a child candy, but not before meal times

As for confining them, I did that for awhile with my flock when they free ranged and dropped their eggs wherever they happened to be at the time when labour started. Most of them laid in the mornings, so I let them out by noon and managed to get most of their eggs in the nest boxes by then. What you can also do to encourage them to lay in their nest boxes, is place some fake eggs or golf balls in there. Hens don't know the difference and for some reason a nest with an egg already in it is an attractive laying spot for them.

 

[breege]

They have free access to Oyster shell in their pen. I am going to shorten their free range time for awhile till they settle in with laying and maybe not give them so many veggies or leaves(my garden has been producing well and I give them the excess leaves from cabbage, lettuce, melon rinds, etc.. Maybe they will eat more feed. They had about 5 hrs free ranging time, but I am going to cut it down to maybe 2 hrs for awhile.

If it's any help, I give mine their main layer ration early in the a.m. & then give them their "treats" starting after noon as it becomes available from the garden. I top up their feed, check everything just before closing for the night. I used to do basically the reverse, but the egg production works better for me this way. If there's an over abundance from the garden too late in the day, I just make a pile not too far from the pop door for them to play in the next a.m. It's a riot watching them discover it

We had planned to let them free range, but had to put up an emergency fence (really rough: snow fencing with T-bars, 45 x 26'), due to an unexpected dog problem, so we also throw in grass clippings