Egg song- no egg?

[tweetzone86]

Hello all!

I just went out to the coop to see if my 4th layer has laid yet (I have 4 out of 12 laying, so am curious if I'm going to get 4 eggs today or just 3). There was a girl in the nest box, so I just flipped a bucket over and sat silently in the "non-chicken" side of the coop while the others happily did their daily bug patrol in said area. I was out of sight from the nest box entirely.

So she sits in there for a good 15 mins or so, then comes out belting out what I can only imagine is the egg song at full volume (baaaa! Ba ba ba bagaa! Ba ba ba ba bagaa!). But when I checked the nest there was no egg (just the ceramic decoy. I have one in each nest box and will be adding a third soon as more start to lay).

Is she just practicing for when she starts to lay (I don't know if she in particular is one of my layers as identified this morning- she wasn't keen on me doing a butt check again)? Or is she possibly egg bound? Or is she just thinking the ceramic one is hers?

Sorry for the twenty questions on here- I'm just a new chicken mama and this is my first flock and the first four just started laying last week

PS- I have 12 RIR from a hatchery, so I haven't yet been able to really tell the difference just by looking at them as their combs are still growing. Only one has slightly lighter feathers than the rest.

 

[Chickassan]

If she isn't laying she's probably about to start and is feeling the sensations of laying. If she is already laying she's just being silly! One here I don't even go look until the third or fourth egg song of the day.

 

[Killer Tomato]

I have a few who just practiced for a week or two before they actually laid. I have some who are cheerleaders, standing at the coop door, singing the song for the hens who are laying, yet laying nothing that day. My dippy little Welsummer sings the egg song for all the other hens, all morning, waiting her turn at the nest box. (she won't share a box with anyone). She's my loudest hen, too. It's really obnoxious actually.

When my hen was egg bound, she was acting "funny". Strange body language, squatting position in the yard, droopy, slower than normal. She wasn't truly bound, but had a GIANT egg the next day -- 79.64 g (biggest of all my chickens). No wonder she was acting "funny".

 

[Kale Chips]

I have a few who just practiced for a week or two before they actually laid. I have some who are cheerleaders, standing at the coop door, singing the song for the hens who are laying, yet laying nothing that day. My dippy little Welsummer sings the egg song for all the other hens, all morning, waiting her turn at the nest box. (she won't share a box with anyone). She's my loudest hen, too. It's really obnoxious actually.

When my hen was egg bound, she was acting "funny". Strange body language, squatting position in the yard, droopy, slower than normal. She wasn't truly bound, but had a GIANT egg the next day -- 79.64 g (biggest of all my chickens). No wonder she was acting "funny".

I totally agree, sometimes they just want to practice! I have one that sings the egg song ALL. THE. TIME. and hasn't even started laying eggs. I have checked on her so many times because it sounds like she is injured or in immediate danger...but nope. Just yelling for fun

Oh my goodness!! I thought I was the only one to weigh the eggs I get Just last week I got my high-score: 82 grams!! Was yours a double yolker? It truly is just so much fun watching the drama of which hens laid which egg and what is what. But seriously...that big just isn't good for them! Yikes! Cheers to hoping for no more huge eggs that put strain on the chicken

 

[Killer Tomato]

82 grams is huge! I agree, that can't be good. No, it wasn't a double yolker, and thankfully, I don't get a lot of eggs that big. My leghorns do the double yolks -- my smallest birds, with the biggest eggs. Poor things!

 

[Chickassan]

I wouldn't worry about straining the chickens ya'll.

 

[tweetzone86]

I wouldn't worry about straining the chickens ya'll.View attachment 1558948 View attachment 1558953 View attachment 1558954 View attachment 1558955

What breed do you have??? Those are gigantic!

 

[Chickassan]

The brown ones are from a delaware and the blue one is from an easter egger. Delawares lay jumbo naturally she normally hits in the 80gram mark. Sometimes she just shows off though.The easter egger was just having one of those days.

What breed do you have??? Those are gigantic!

 

[Kale Chips]

The brown ones are from a delaware and the blue one is from an easter egger. Delawares lay jumbo naturally she normally hits in the 80gram mark. Sometimes she just shows off though.The easter egger was just having one of those days. View attachment 1558987

OH MY GOODNESS. I was really concerned when I got the 82 gram egg...but THAT has got to be ENORMOUS!! Do you have a side by side comparison? Wow!!

 

[Chickassan]

Lol! Iv'e got one of her normies next to a big one. I always take photos she amazes me.

This is next to a faverolle egg 60ish gram mark and the majority of what gets laid.

And just in my hand being in awe of it.

OH MY GOODNESS. I was really concerned when I got the 82 gram egg...but THAT has got to be ENORMOUS!! Do you have a side by side comparison? Wow!!