Egg song but, no eggs? :(

[chickenlady772]

My 20 wk leghorns have been singing for weeks now but, no eggs. Why? Clean water, good feed. Im hoping any day now. Just wondering what might be. Doesn't look like they are getting eaten. But, they kick out the hay in the boxes to ground. Leaving bare wood.

 

[earlybird10842]

Odd. Hens will sing the egg songs for other reasons too, sometimes. How red is her comb? Could she be laying eggs elsewhere?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Try raising the lip on your nests. That should stop them from scratching out the nesting material and any eggs that get laid.

It varies by the pullet of course, but often a pullet will start looking for a spot to make a nest about a week or so before she starts to lay. With them investigating nests and scratching around in there, yours could be getting pretty close to eggs.

There is some discussion on what the egg song really means. There is another call that sounds a hole lot like the egg song that they do when they are excited, confused, or frightened. If one starts it, all of them may take it up. Mine do that occasionally. I don't know why but it is real close to the egg song.

One version that I heard of what the egg song is really about is that it is a call to locate the flock. When the hen comes off the nest, the flock could be out roaming anywhere. To find them the hen starts the egg song. I don't know how much truth there is in that. My current rooster does not do it but in the past I've had roosters that would go to a hen that came off the nest and start the egg song and take her to the flock. After mating with her of course. A hen laying eggs obviously needs to be fertilized. That actually makes sense evolution-wise.

 

[chickenlady772]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to fix the lip on the nest boxes tomorrow. The combs are bright red andd fairly large. Now today I cleaned the coop and put fresh hay in the boxes. And when I returned later this evening nothing was moved but, I know they were laying around in them because they were all flat.

Keeping my fingers crossed

 

[sunflour]

There is some discussion on what the egg song really means. There is another call that sounds a hole lot like the egg song that they do when they are excited, confused, or frightened. If one starts it, all of them may take it up. Mine do that occasionally. I don't know why but it is real close to the egg song.

My gals have been doing a choir of what sounds to me exactly like their egg song, but 5 singing it together in their run. Really confused me but has been hilarious to witness. But today I realized that they are upset with some of our spring yard work activity, especially if using loud equipment or altering things in the yard close to their home. That's when the show begins. They really don't look startled, just stand together watching me and singing. When whatever event triggers it stops, then they stop singing. Searched to see if anyone had an explanation and found yours. Thanks for the info. The choir song sounds either exactly or so close to their individual egg songs that I cannot tell the difference, but plan to try to see what may be the difference.

 

[choco orpington]

This could be because she I'd point of lay, try waiting for another week, some lay earlier/later than others.

 

[ADKChickenChick]

My girls occasionally sing without laying an egg too. Waiting for that first egg seems like it will take an eternity...I promise, the day will come! Are they beginning to squat when you reach to pet them? This is a sign that the time is close. Mine began to squat and I had eggs within 2 weeks. My girls will not keep any hay in their boxes either. I add hay...they kick it out - up over the lip - and lay anyway. I have placed foam in the boxes because I had an egg break because it was laid directly on the wood of the boxes. Since then I've had no broken eggs...maybe this is something your could consider if you have picky girls too!

 

[choco orpington]

when thye squat when you pet them, jt means they are ready for a Cockerell.