How Do I Know if My Chickens Are Going to Start Laying Soon?

[Devyn Nagy]

Hi everyone! I'm wondering If I'll be able to tell when my chickens will start laying. I understand that it can take 20 - 28 weeks before they start, but is there any indication of it? A change in behavior, eating habits, noise-making ect.? Tell me what you think.

 

[drinkoj]

Wattles and comb are huge flopping over sideways and bright red, when you place your hand on their backside the squat, they do a egg song (lots of cluck clucking), and finally they lay an egg You really just have to wait and find an egg, it's torture but worth it when you get your first one.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It is a physiological change.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/
The change is brought on by age, nutrition and the hormonal signals generated from change in daily light period vis a vis dark period.

 

[Sherri1990]

They squat! And mine got really vocal and obnoxious. She ran along the fence line like she was looking for something.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I haven't had a hen squat in over 10 years and they continue to lay well.
Squatting is a desire to mate, not that laying is imminent.

 

[Sherri1990]

I haven't had a hen squat in over 10 years and they continue to lay well.
Squatting is a desire to mate, not that laying is imminent.

I didn’t know that! Mine squat! It’s sooo funny to me

 

[Whigru]

Butt check is the way to go (previous poster shared a link)! I’ve used this pretty accurately for 2 of my 4 birds, and am doing it every couple of days for the 2 not yet laying. It’s a good way to gauge if anything is happening down there, along with comb/wattle development and redness. I have a Wyandotte that is 34 weeks and her comb has been red for a while but her pelvis tells me that eggs are still a ways off but I also have a 25 week EE that is getting close, based on the widening of her pelvis. The other two of mine, I could tell within a few days before they started laying.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I didn’t know that! Mine squat! It’s sooo funny to me

To a point, it depends if there are roosters in a flock. If they have a desire to mate, the roosters have already taken care of that. But even if I have a flock without roosters, they don't all squat.

 

[Devyn Nagy]

Butt check is the way to go (previous poster shared a link)! I’ve used this pretty accurately for 2 of my 4 birds, and am doing it every couple of days for the 2 not yet laying. It’s a good way to gauge if anything is happening down there, along with comb/wattle development and redness. I have a Wyandotte that is 34 weeks and her comb has been red for a while but her pelvis tells me that eggs are still a ways off but I also have a 25 week EE that is getting close, based on the widening of her pelvis. The other two of mine, I could tell within a few days before they started laying.

I have Wyandottes! So that means it could be a long time yet, as mine are only about 22 weeks old. I introduced layer feed at 19 weeks, maybe it was a bit early? Anyway, I'll have to try feeling the pelvic bones every once and a while.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Squatting actually works great for me as my most accurate indicator... well enough that I can give a date range for the first egg and be pretty much on the money. So far I'm 3 for 3 this year - and my prediction for pullet #4 is is the week of Nov 8-14, likely the earlier part of the week. So I've actually never tried measuring pelvic points.

Difference for me I think is that I really actively encourage them to squat for me. That's a lot of hand hovering over the backs of growing pullets and hens post-winter-solstice. Downside is trying to walk without accidentally punting a bird as they randomly squat as I come through.