How Can You Tell If Your Is Laying?

[AuroraSprings]

I feel like I've heard something about "egg butt" in laying chickens and how that's an indicator of laying. I tried searching on here for it, but didn't find anything. Do ducks show this indicator? Is there another that can be used?

 

[TigerLilly]

I dont know that there'd be a difference in using this for chickens or ducks, but I was told to squirt some food coloring into the vent & when the egg comes out you will know who laid it. Of course if you have more than 1, you'll need to use different colors. I think they said it lasts for about 3-4 days or so, as far as the egg having food coloring on it.
Of course, this may be absolutely useless if your duck is hiding eggs somewhere & you aren't finding them...

 

[DB_Tex]

If you have pekins or ducks with bright beaks and feet you can tell by the intensity of the pigment in those areas. A female pekin with bright orange bill and feet is generally not depleting herself laying, but the females with a more "washed out" color in those areas most likely is. Metzer had this on his site at one point but I can't find the original article again.

 

[AuroraSprings]

I like the food coloring idea, but I don't think it will work. We typically have around 20 breeding hens at any given time.

The pigment won't help either, since they are Anconas and all have different colored bills. I'd bet that feed influences color too.

 

[DB_Tex]

yeah, that method would only work if you have a uniform color of bills and the feed was all equal >_< won't work for my campbells either... some have orange feet, some have black lol.