How long fromegg song and squat to actual eggs?

[BoerneChickens]

I have an EE who is 21 weeks old today. She has been checking out the nest box and singing the egg song (or close to it) and she does the egg squat when you pat her back - she has been doing this for just over a week but still no eggs from her. How long does it typically take to go from those signals to actually getting eggs? We know she is not laying in the yard - my kids have done an egg hunt every day and no sign of eggs anywhere - plus she seems to go check out the nesting boxes a lot so I am pretty sure she will lay there - plus one other hen is laying there and she goes in with her most days - so maybe she "knows" where to go?

Any ideas?

 

[Chick CJ]

Sounds like you can expect your first egg from her anyday now! So exciting! As far as how long, I had one hen who never gave me any indication she was getting ready to lay, another hen who squawked and walked around the yard for two weeks and went in and out of the nesting box five times a day before finally laying her first egg. And I have had everything in between! Sorry, wish there was a magic number I could give you.

CJ

 

[texasgal]

I would guess within the week .. Can't wait to hear about your first egg!!

 

[BoerneChickens]

Quote:
Yeah - like all things with chickens I figured there was no magic number but at least it helps to know that they can take a couple weeks. We are just about at two weeks now so I am hopeful it will be this week! And I hope it will be green or blue!

 

[city kid farm]

My girls just started at 21 weeks -only 2 of 6 so far. The singing and squatting went on for about a week before hand. I also discovered that one girl had been laying in odd places so we got 3 bonus eggs!

Watch her closely, it will be any time now.

 

[imthedude]

i think it was 8 days from the first "squat" to our first egg. one of our BR's was the first to lay at about 3 days shy of 20 weeks.

 

[Keens2050]

Egg song & Squat? I am new to this chicken business - have 8 silver-laced wyandottes that are 16 weeks old...please enlighten this newbie on the egg song & squat and what I should be looking for. Thanks!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I bet you'll see an egg within a week.

 

[BoerneChickens]

Quote:
The "song" is the classic chicken bak-bak-ba-KAWK sound and the "squat" is when you touch them on the back they drop down close to the ground with the wings down so their back is flat - it is behavior intended to allow a rooster to mount - but they will do it even with no rooster present once they reach egg laying age - or are close to it. At least that is my understanding of the whole thing - I'm a newbie too but I have been reading a lot on this site and trying to learn what to watch for.

All you more experienced chicken folk - please correct me if I got any of this wrong or left something out

 

[palochknldy]

I must have "out of the norm" chickens. We have never witnessed the egg squat(and not for lack of watching them all the time instead of gardening). We were able to tell who our 2nd layer was because we saw her eating crushed egg shells that we put out for them. The whole time we thought it was our BR who has the reddest comb and waddle and thought it was weird that she would be eating the egg shells if she wasn't laying. Yep, we were wrong! Our RIR sings the egg song after she lays only once in awhile, not every day and our Golden Comet goes in and lays and comes out like nothing happened.