How can you tell which chickens are laying?

[Stonechick]

We have 6 chickens and are currently getting 3 or 4 eggs a day. How do you tell which chickens are laying? As we are on lockdown myself and kids are keeping an eye out for which chickens are going into the coop to lay during the day but we always find that when our backs are turned there's an egg but from who?!?!
Are there any signs to look out for?

 

[MountainWoman73]

If they're doing the 'rooster squat' when you put your hand over them or singing the egg song (buhk-buk-buk-buk-buk-BAGAWK) then they're either laying or close to it.

But the best way to know for sure is to grab a cup of coffee and do some good old fashioned chicken stalking. Have fun!

 

[aart]

How do you tell which chickens are laying?

Here's some tips:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

But the best way to know for sure is to grab a cup of coffee and do some good old fashioned chicken stalking. Have fun!

Ditto Dat!

 

[MerylCheep]

This was super-interesting! Two of ours are definitely doing the rooster squat, though I didn’t realise that’s what it is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Obviously I have too much time on my hands but yes I'll stalk them and watch them lay. Only eggs I can't definitively assign to one bird at a glance are my EEs as they both lay very similar blue eggs, and I can't remember which one lays the more elongated ones.

 

[Red Star 2019]

If they're doing the 'rooster squat' when you put your hand over them or singing the egg song (buhk-buk-buk-buk-buk-BAGAWK) then they're either laying or close to it.

But the best way to know for sure is to grab a cup of coffee and do some good old fashioned chicken stalking. Have fun!

You could get a small cage and put the chicken in it with food and water overnight and if the the chicken lays an egg within the 24 hour period, you know that she lays, then put a small tie around her leg to mark her.

 

[aart]

You could get a small cage and put the chicken in it with food and water overnight and if the the chicken lays an egg within the 24 hour period, you know that she lays, then put a small tie around her leg to mark her.

That can work, but sometimes the bird can be too stressed by being caged that she won't lay.

 

[J99]

That can work, but sometimes the bird can be too stressed by being caged that she won't lay.

Yess many of mine will not lay if I cage them , and I know they are laying

 

[Red Star 2019]

That can work, but sometimes the bird can be too stressed by being caged that she won't lay.

I'm in the process now of trying to see which chickens are laying. I put a chicken in a separate cage for 24 hours with food and water. Then the next day, I take it out. If the chicken laid an egg in the cage, I double band it with a small zip tie on both legs, if the chicken didn't lay an egg, then it only get one zip tie on the right let. So far, it has been working, I'm trying to catch the chicken that is laying and then eating its' egg. Only have 5 more chickens to test. They don't get that stressed out either. I'm getting the same amount of eggs each day from the flock.

 

[aart]

I'm in the process now of trying to see which chickens are laying. I put a chicken in a separate cage for 24 hours with food and water. Then the next day, I take it out. If the chicken laid an egg in the cage, I double band it with a small zip tie on both legs, if the chicken didn't lay an egg, then it only get one zip tie on the right let. So far, it has been working, I'm trying to catch the chicken that is laying and then eating its' egg. Only have 5 more chickens to test. They don't get that stressed out either. I'm getting the same amount of eggs each day from the flock.

Glad it's working out for you.
How many birds total are you going to test?
Where do you put this cage?