Egg songs?

[Jeanw]

Mine do this occasionally just for the fun of it I think. No where near a nest box, just causing a raucous!

 

[gclarrot]

Mine do this occasionally just for the fun of it I think. No where near a nest box, just causing a raucous!

two of them (the loud one who started it all) had to be tempted to come out from behind the coop with mealworms after this all started.


these girls are way worse than my labs!

 

[aart]

Couple of those look pretty 'reddy' in the comb.
Adding more birds could be is probably causing some discord and stress.
I assume you have nests ready with fake eggs as 'bait'?
Squatting and pelvic pacing can both happen a week or two before laying.
IME messing in the nests happens within a day or two.

 

[gclarrot]

Couple of those look pretty 'reddy' in the comb.
Adding more birds could be is probably causing some discord and stress.
I assume you have nests ready with fake eggs as 'bait'?
Squatting and pelvic pacing can both happen a week or two before laying.
IME messing in the nests happens within a day or two.

IVE two pacing in front of the nesting boxes for 3 weeks since i put them in.
The ladies are in the crate for 2 weeks now at 7wks and i have no intent releasing them unsupervised for at least another week. My elder ladies free range 30% of the day when I can be aware of then outside(even though a hawk doesn’t care if I’m there or not or My lab). But, I’ve never seen the squat yet unless my I place my hand on their back.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Do you have fake eggs/golf balls in their nesting box? We had/have a broody orpington and I tried removing all the fake eggs to break her...that was a BAD PLAN the rest of the girls SQUAWKED until I put the fake eggs back ...that solved all the squawking and life was good lol .

 

[aart]

But, I’ve never seen the squat yet unless my I place my hand on their back.

Well, that's when they do it, unless you have a male bird in the flock

 

[gclarrot]

Do you have fake eggs/golf balls in their nesting box? We had/have a broody orpington and I tried removing all the fake eggs to break her...that was a BAD PLAN the rest of the girls SQUAWKED until I put the fake eggs back ...that solved all the squawking and life was good lol .

No no fake eggs in there yet or real one side

 

[City Farmer Jim]

They made all the difference for our flock...its a security thing for all the girls "if its safe enough for someone else to lay an egg there its safe enough for ME" kind of attitude IMO but I don't speak fluent chicken yet.

 

[City Farmer Jim]

Our first to lay was a Barred rock at 18 weeks due in part we think because she lost her flock mate/sister to a hawk attack where she then assumed she was head hen. The rest of the girls started laying 4 to 6 weeks later. We had a silver laced Wyandotte who laid her first 3 outside in tall grass at the base of a tree. Up until she turned 1(the 10th of September) she would not use a nesting box at all and picked a corner in the coop to lay. The only advice I have to offer is fake eggs and patients...it will happen for you(and them) soon. Keep us updated if you have time...

 

[gclarrot]

Our first to lay was a Barred rock at 18 weeks due in part we think because she lost her flock mate/sister to a hawk attack where she then assumed she was head hen. The rest of the girls started laying 4 to 6 weeks later. We had a silver laced Wyandotte who laid her first 3 outside in tall grass at the base of a tree. Up until she turned 1(the 10th of September) she would not use a nesting box at all and picked a corner in the coop to lay. The only advice I have to offer is fake eggs and patients...it will happen for you(and them) soon. Keep us updated if you have time...

I think it may be a tad bit of stress delaying the eggs. I have 1 SLW, 2 cooper marans and 1 isa brown in a crate getting them used to one another. I do have a head hen and she was the one making all the noise and who started it.

I’ll definitely update once I see an egg!