Here's a mystery....

[Karen Glatz]

'Tis a mystery indeed. The cochin is old enough and is squatting on the box, but the Isa and Barred Rock have some pretty good looking combs. You can easily scratch that EE off your list for another 8 weeks.

Funny, I never noticed how much comb and wattle development they had going until I really looked at the photos. My girls are growing up. <sniffle>.

 

[jaxonann]

Funny, I never noticed how much comb and wattle development they had going until I really looked at the photos. My girls are growing up. <sniffle>.

 

[Karen Glatz]

OK, going by egg color, it's not the cochin or the welsummer or the wyandottes. i think the easter egger is too young soooo - I think you guys are right - the medium brown egg must be Isa or Rocky.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What? The EE won't lay till 22 weeks? I was expecting mine to start any day now, they just turned 16 weeks this past Saturday!

Edit: werks= weeks

 

[cluckcluckhens]

I say some later and some earlier. Here is an article just to make sure. I read the ones that lay later will live longer on a search I just found. Here is one .

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/at-what-age-should-chickens-start-laying-eggs.684375/

 

[aart]

Pullets will start calling for a rooster before they get to lay an egg.
There isn't such a thing as the egg song.

I think of you every time I hear the egg song/escort call...regardless of why/what exactly, it's still a vocalization surrounding the egg laying event, so 'egg song' is not entirely inaccurate. They can do it before and/or after laying, some don't do it at all or not every time they lay.

OK, going by egg color, it's not the cochin or the welsummer or the wyandottes. i think the easter egger is too young soooo - I think you guys are right - the medium brown egg must be Isa or Rocky.

Having a group of pullets near onset of lay is the perfect time to start exams. Good to know what a healthy vent looks like and get them used to being examined for bugs. I do all exams off the roost after dark.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[Shadrach]

I think of you every time I hear the egg song/escort call...regardless of why/what exactly, it's still a vocalization surrounding the egg laying event, so 'egg song' is not entirely inaccurate. They can do it before and/or after laying, some don't do it at all or not every time they lay.

It's nice to be thought of.
My hope is one day all chicken keepers will think of me as they adjust their vocabulary.

 

[aart]

It's nice to be thought of.
My hope is one day all chicken keepers will think of me as they adjust their vocabulary.

Sorry, I still think of it as the egg song
but I do understand and appreciate the behavioral aspects you observe and share.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm with the others, I will still call it the egg song, but I think of it as @Shadrach's Lyft Service call! Thanks to Shad for shedding light on this now much more fascinating chicken behavior!

 

[jaxonann]

Mine were certainly later than 16 weeks. I tried to find my old calendar to see the exact dates to give you a more accurate timeline. I got them as 3 day chicks in early March and they started laying at the end of July. I just don't have the exact start day.

What? The EE won't lay till 22 weeks? I was expecting mine to start any day now, they just turned 16 weeks this past Saturday!

Edit: werks= weeks