Help with the "egg squat" anyone?

[wichix411]

I have 8 red sexlinks that are all 15 weeks+1 day old. All of them have always been super skittish around humans, even though I've hand raised them since 1 day old. All of that "hold them when they're young so they get used to you" stuff never seemed to work. Today i went out just to check on the chickens and they were pecking away at an apple. So, i went in and i tried to pet them. My favorite pullet who is also skittish did something of a squat and let me pet her without trying to get away. Is this the egg squat? Does this mean that I'll be getting eggs real soon?

Also, does anybody have any pictures of it so i can confirm my suspicion???

 

[Whirlwind]

Yep thats the egg squat!! Keep an eye out for your first egg!!!

I love red sex links.

 

[wichix411]

Her comb has gotten slightly bigger and redder in the past few days. Do red's have smaller combs, or do they get bigger as they grow older? OMG I'm so impatient. i took down the board that was covering the nest boxes (because they had started to nest in there when they were like 10 weeks old) and i put golf balls in the nests, and so far the chooks just like spend the middle of their day in there because theres no shade in their run... I'm really hoping that its the egg squat and i'll get an egg any day!

Anybody have an answer to either of my questions? (the comb question and the egg squat question)

 

[Karrie13]

It does sound like the "egg squat". Did she kind of thump her feet first then squat and lift her wings away from her body? If so that is for sure the squat!

The comb will get bigger and redder the closer she is to laying time.

Mine took two weeks after first doing that before she laid her first egg (which was on Tuesday). She is a Gold sex link and is 19 weeks old. Take a look at my BYC page and you will se a pick of my girl that just laid.

Hope that helps! The waiting seems endless, then one day it happens and you cant wait to get the next one!

 

[wichix411]

She is a Gold sex link and is 19 weeks old. Take a look at my BYC page and you will se a pick of my girl that just laid.

I have one that looks exactly like that! I think Gold and Red Sexlinks are the same thing. My chook that looks like yours isn't my favorite one tho, and she has a smaller comb than yours, albeit she is only 15 weeks old.​

 

[bigredfeather]

Quote:
I love mine too. They are egg laying fools. And everyone of them will "squat" when I approach them.

 

[Chicklette]

Sounds like it... you'll probably see an egg soon. My girls wouldn't let us pet them either until they started squatting, and then they just kind of freeze and fluff up with their wings out. I find they don't do it every time I reach for them though.

I found they did the egg song on and off for a couple of weeks (although I wasn't always around so I can't say for sure), and began squatting about a week before I got eggs. What I also noticed was they started really messing up the nests (more than the usual going in to investigate) the day before. I'm sure everyone's hens are a little bit different. I collected egg #7 yesterday - the novelty has still not worn off!

 

[wichix411]

I've never heard the egg song yet, except for on people's post where they've included links to youtube vids with it in. I wish they would do it! does everybody's red sexlinks sing the song???

 

[cmjust0]

I did a youtube search for "egg song" and found this.

If this is the egg song everyone's talking about, I can see why everyone is so impressed when their birds perform it.

 

[wichix411]

I want to hear it for myself! so, i'm thinking that it is the egg squat that my favorite girl did. I'm hoping so, and her comb and wattles are getting bigger and redder. So would you guys say that within a week a should see a little egg next to a golf ball in the nest boxes (or possibly on the floor, but they've been checking out the nests so i think they'll lay there...)?