How did your flock annoy you today?

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

First check their vents.

A laying bird (or one very close to laying) will have a moist, pink vent. A pullet who hasn't started/isn't close yet will have a smaller, dry vent.

You can also check the position of their pelvic bone. Can't find the article about that, though.

Very good idea. I was accidentally touching wet vents up to 2 weeks before they started laying.

 

[GApeachmama]

I wish I could help. All mine are bantams, and they're not old enough to lay.

How many do you have in all? Do they all lay brown eggs, except for the EE?

I think I figured it out. I have 9 chickens 3 EE, 2 Lavender Orpington, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Australorp and 1 Brahma. When I walked outside my favorite girl Nubia the Australorp did a shimmy shake and squatted in front of me. She wasn’t doing that yesterday and no one else is.

 

[GApeachmama]

Very good idea. I was accidentally touching wet vents up to 2 weeks before they started laying.

I’ll check her vent later today but I think it’s Nubia my Australorp. She did a little shimmy shake squat when I walked outside again.

 

[AnneGirlGG]

I think I figured it out. I have 9 chickens 3 EE, 2 Lavender Orpington, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Australorp and 1 Brahma. When I walked outside my favorite girl Nubia the Australorp did a shimmy shake and squatted in front of me. She wasn’t doing that yesterday and no one else is.

Aww! She's all like. "Guess what I did, Mom!"

 

[GApeachmama]

Aww! She's all like. "Guess what I did, Mom!"

She was. Sweet girl.

 

[LaurenRitz]

My Australorps have always laid a pinkish egg.

 

[GApeachmama]

My Australorps have always laid a pinkish egg.

I think this looks right in line with that.

 

[TheChickenGirl16]

That’s an Austrilorp egg!
I have 3 Austrilorps, and they all lay just like that!
Congratulations!

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

I’ll check her vent later today but I think it’s Nubia my Australorp. She did a little shimmy shake squat when I walked outside again.

mine got all my hopes up quite early before they were laying. Some of them were squatting a month before their first egg, and others had wet vents for 2 weeks before their first egg. Nubia sounds like a strong contender for laying that precious first egg!

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Speaking of annoying chickens, after cleaning their poop shelf today I saw some blood! A fight went down in the coop last night it seems, two have a bit of blood on their combs, another has a scratch on her beak, and one has blood on her neck feathers! It's time to file someone's beak and nails again... my lightest in my flock is also the top bird. And she does mount the other birds sometimes as a sign of dominance. Claws are claws, and they hurt! No more wounds show up when her talons are rounded, but this is the first time I've actually seen a blood splatter. She's lucky she's my favorite, but if this behavior repeats she will be in chicken jail in my bathroom for a week or two.