FIRST EGG!!! It took 68 Days.

[austindon]

So we know it was one of two hens because it was light brown with speckles. The egg was laid today or yesterday. The rooster was mounting one hen frequently this afternoon. Would that indicate that the one he was not mounting today probably laid the egg? Or is there any correlation? Seems like he would be mounting the hen who would be laying next. But I am not sure how that really works. Can someone shed some light? Thanks.

 

[HS Pye]

No, the cock probably just is 'mounting' the hen alot because she is his favorite. No there isn't any correlation that I know of.

HS Pye

 

[Ridgerunner]

A rooster might mount a hen for different reasons. It might be about fertilizing eggs but it might be about dominance instead. The mating ritual is a dominance thing. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, whether willingly or by force. It’s not that unusual for a rooster to mount a hen that is not laying to establish and demonstrate dominance over her. I’ve even had a hen mount another hen in a flock that had no dominant rooster to show that she was the dominant chicken.

But it could be about fertilizing the eggs. When a hen is laying, she normally has a bright red comb and wattles. A rooster finds a bright red comb and wattles sexually attractive. He wants to fertilize the eggs of a hen that is laying and not waste his time and energy on a hen that is not laying. Hens not laying often have pink or more orange looking combs and wattles.

So it’s possible it could be for either reason, but if he repeatedly mounted one hen and ignored the other, she is probably the one laying.

 

[chickenforlife]

how long till my bo start laying after doing the chuckety cluck ? aka the feathery horazontal mombo ?