I think my girls are ready to lay. Thoughts? (And am I prepared?)

[guesswhatchickenbutt]

I've been reading thru this forum a lot and I think my girls are ready to lay.

They were hatched around the 20-something of March so they're all about 20 weeks right now. I have a EE, BR and BO. The BR and the BO have red combs and wattles...the EE isn't very red though and doesn't have much to show for a comb or a wattle. When I pet them they do the "how you doin' " squat, which I think is a good sign, right?

I wonder if the nest boxes are okay... they're on a higher level than the base of the coop, but lower than their roosts...but just sorta on the same level as the 2nd level walking area - impossible to explain. I put some little boards up so they are sort of marked off. I have 2 nest boxes - hope that's okay. I don't have anything special in them - just the same old hay that's in the rest of the coop.

Should I add shavings?

Should I add a golf ball to each?

Do I make some sort of nest shape or just chuck shavings/hay in there?

And like a pot of hot water....does a watched chicken never lay? It's super hot here in FL and I don't want the egg sitting there all day cooking in the super hot nest boxes so I check a few times a day and am developing pre-egg neurosis now - LOL.

Thanks!!!!

 

[kellykate]

Hi there --I may not be of much help -- but I have chickens just a couple weeks older than yours and have 1 (of the 7) who is laying.

Sounds like your nest boxes are just fine --as long as the hay in the box is thick enough to cushion the egg and keep it from breaking --I think you'll be fine. The egg should last (even in the heat) for a bit. I think you would be fine checking 2 times a day. My first layed around 11:00 and then has now gone as late as 4:00!

Of course, I have my nest boxes all set up and have even stuck a few of the girls in there so they would check it out --where did the first one lay . . . behind a feed bucket in the corner --and that is where she continues to lay --grrrr. I am hoping the others see the light!

Anyhow, sounds like you are doing everything right! Now comes the hardest part ... waiting! Are any of your chickens squatting when you approach or when you reach to pet them? That was a sure sign for mine -- she began laying about a week after she started squatting! Good Luck!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I started with hay in mine, but switched to shavings when my BO was laying her eggs on the floor of the coop. Mine seem to prefer the shavings.

Your EE won't have much for a comb. It will just start turning more red. I noticed on my EE that the skin around her beak turned reddish when she got close to laying.

My BO and BR laid within that 20-21 week timeframe.

You'll have eggs soon. I've read on here that as long as you check for eggs twice a day the eggs will be fine. If you are like me, you'll be checking like 25 times a day. Now that all of mine are laying, I go out twice maybe 3 times if I hear an egg song.