How much longer til I get some eggs??

[Matelew]

*** update *** need some more help on this
The hen I wrote about was spending a little time in the nesting box this afternoon. She was moving around the hay and then squatting repeatedly, going from one box to the other. She eventually stopped, and she is now roosting in her normal spot with the other girls but she is squawking VERY LOUD while roosting and seems to be panting. It's not that hot today/tonight and none of the others are panting....is this normal behavior for a possible first time layer or is she having trouble????
Also, we did remove the rooster that was in her coop due to harassment today..... (Have discovered I'm not a big fan of roosters) so he is now in the coop next to them by himself, could she be upset he's not there? She is with the other 9 hens she is normally with and she definitely didn't seem to like the rooster when he was with them.... But I've heard they will sometimes mourn could this be it?

I am no chicken expert, and this is only my first flock but I had a hen(she has not laid any eggs yet) that was panting the other day even when none of the other hens were panting so I gave them some cool treats and that helped.

I will say that the first time my hen laid she took about 45 mins, she did a lot of rearranging straw and moving around the box squatting before the egg came. I think if you are really concerned you should pick her up and check her vent and make sure she is not egg bound. I also have a chicken that checks out the nest box but hasn't laid and I know before my one girl started laying she went into the box and fixed up her space but I didn't notice her panting. I doubt she is mourning the rooster (I like you am not a big fan of the cockerels but once they mature some say they are better...I rehomed mine).
Anyway that's just my thoughts from my research...when all else fails you check to make sure the hen is alright.

 

[aart]

They can have hard time when they first start laying, I had one that panted like that.....
...and they can get very vocal.
It doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong tho.

If she appears to be greatly distressed and squawking for several hours, maybe examine her.

 

[msisco389]

They can have hard time when they first start laying, I had one that panted like that.....
...and they can get very vocal.
It doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong tho.

If she appears to be greatly distressed and squawking for several hours, maybe examine her.

Thank you for the tip! She seems to be over all fine this morning, she's wandering around doing some squawking as if she's looking for something. She has access to the nesting boxes in the coop so I'm hoping for the best. I looked up egg bound and don't really see any of those symptoms yet but I will keep an eye on her.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

A pullet getting ready to lay can become one hot mess of noise, activity and confusion (and others can go about the whole thing so quietly that, if not for finding the first egg, you'd never know anything had changed. She sounds like she is just a happy, healthy member of "team drama" when it comes to her coming of age. There are a whole lot of changes going on for her right now, and we all know how much chickens like change. Even hens well established in the whole laying process can make just this sort of production of the fact that they are thinking of laying an egg.

 

[msisco389]

I am no chicken expert, and this is only my first flock but I had a hen(she has not laid any eggs yet) that was panting the other day even when none of the other hens were panting so I gave them some cool treats and that helped.

I will say that the first time my hen laid she took about 45 mins, she did a lot of rearranging straw and moving around the box squatting before the egg came. I think if you are really concerned you should pick her up and check her vent and make sure she is not egg bound. I also have a chicken that checks out the nest box but hasn't laid and I know before my one girl started laying she went into the box and fixed up her space but I didn't notice her panting. I doubt she is mourning the rooster (I like you am not a big fan of the cockerels but once they mature some say they are better...I rehomed mine).
Anyway that's just my thoughts from my research...when all else fails you check to make sure the hen is alright.

Thanks for the advice! I am definitely keeping an eye on her.... But I checked her vent and just overall and I don't think egg bound...at least not yet based on the symptoms I saw online.

And definitely considering re-homing my roosters.... I thought mine would be an exception since I handle them A LOT, but unfortunately last week they went from my cuddle buddies to scary monsters almost over night. And they are brutal with the hens! The one is nicer than the other to the girls but I figured if I remove one I'd just remove them both.

 

[msisco389]

Found her sitting in the nesting box!!! She sat in there a while but no egg, she's now back to free ranging.... False alarm?

 

[aart]

New layers can be quite goofy acting, they don't know what they are doing at first and can be confused and anxious, it can take up to a month or so before they get it all figured out. Putting some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest might help show them where to lay. They may scratch around in the nests for weeks before laying. Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

Signs of onset of lay---
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.

2 bony points on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.

 

[msisco389]

New layers can be quite goofy acting, they don't know what they are doing at first and can be confused and anxious, it can take up to a month or so before they get it all figured out. Putting some fake eggs or golf balls in the nest might help show them where to lay. They may scratch around in the nests for weeks before laying. Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

Signs of onset of lay---
Squatting:
If you touch their back they will hunker down on the ground, then shake their tail feathers when they get back up.
This shows they are sexually mature and egg laying is close at hand.

Combs and Wattles:
Plump, shiny red - usually means laying.
Shriveled, dryish looking and pale - usually means not laying.

2 bony points on either side of vent:
Less than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means not laying.
More than 2 fingertip widths apart usually means laying.

Thank you for the awesome tips!!! She is definitely doing the squatting thing when I pet her so I think I might be close!! I put a few golf balls in there like you suggested, so hopefully that helps too!
Thanks a bunch!

 

[msisco389]

We have an egg this morning!!!!....well kind of, soft shell and is torn open, do I need to worry that it tore inside her?? I've seen a couple people post about it causing infections

 

[msisco389]

She seems to be acting normal