How to know which chickens are laying..

[QuackinMeUp]

So I have 6 pullets, 2 are laying. I know my white eggs are coming from my leghorn but I now have a beautiful green egg a day and I have no clue which girl is laying them. Is there a way to tell? I have an idea completely based on comb size and color but can I go off that?? New to laying chickens if ya cant tell!

 

[CluckerFamily]

Do you only have one easter egger or olive egger? If you only have one, the eggs are coming from the pullet on the right of your picture, she has green legs.

 

[NatJ]

To tell which pullet or hen is laying a particular egg:

Pick each one up, and look at her vent (the hole the egg and poop come out of.)
If she's laying, it'll look somewhat moist and stretchy (like an egg could come out of it.)
If she's not laying, the vent will look smaller and puckered.

The first one you look at, you will probably not be sure which way it is.
Once you've looked at both a layer and a not-layer, it will probably be pretty obvious.

Other sure ways to tell:
--sit out there and watch all day
--set up a camera watching the nestboxes, and go grab the egg each time a chicken comes out
--put one hen at a time in a cage alone. If she lays the egg, then you know. If someone else lays the egg, then the one in the cage did not do it.

I've also read of people putting food coloring or lipstick on the hen's vent, and finding colored marks on the egg. Use a different color for each hen, or wait until the color wears off one hen before using it on another. Sounds clever, but I've never personally tried it.

 

[QuackinMeUp]

Do you only have one easter egger or olive egger? If you only have one, the eggs are coming from the pullet on the right of your picture, she has green legs.

That's Margo! I am not sure honestly what I have lol I have 1 margo and 2 poofey head ones, Mo and Fro.. I was told the poofey headed ones were EEs but that's all I can kind of confirm. Then my leghorn Elsa, and a brown one with black tail feathers, Fresca, and Margo which I was told could be a black sex link? When I got them at a few days old I was told all but Elsa were EEs but several people have said they weren't so I'm just not sure.

 

[QuackinMeUp]

To tell which pullet or hen is laying a particular egg:

Pick each one up, and look at her vent (the hole the egg and poop come out of.)
If she's laying, it'll look somewhat moist and stretchy (like an egg could come out of it.)
If she's not laying, the vent will look smaller and puckered.

The first one you look at, you will probably not be sure which way it is.
Once you've looked at both a layer and a not-layer, it will probably be pretty obvious.

Other sure ways to tell:
--sit out there and watch all day
--set up a camera watching the nestboxes, and go grab the egg each time a chicken comes out
--put one hen at a time in a cage alone. If she lays the egg, then you know. If someone else lays the egg, then the one in the cage did not do it.

I've also read of people putting food coloring or lipstick on the hen's vent, and finding colored marks on the egg. Use a different color for each hen, or wait until the color wears off one hen before using it on another. Sounds clever, but I've never personally tried it.

I didnt realize that!! I will try the grab and peek lol Thank you!!

 

[NatJ]

I didnt realize that!! I will try the grab and peek lol Thank you!!

For a perfect example of a not-laying chicken, check one of the males.

 

[garlandchickens]

That last pic is the one that would be laying the green eggs!

 

[QuackinMeUp]

That last pic is the one that would be laying the green eggs!

That's two votes for Margo!! Thank you!