Indications that she's about to lay an egg? & reaching perches?

[Carolyn252]

I don't have any chickens yet; just trying to learn as much as I can first. Do the chickens give any sort of signal that they are about to lay an egg? And another question: how do they get to their perches and nest boxes? Do they fly up there? or jump up there? or do they need little ramp ladders like the ones that lead from the coop's front door to the ground?
Thanks,
-Carolyn

 

[Hens_And_Chicks]

I don't totally know the answer - I have 6 hens that are 20 weeks right now and just starting to lay - their combs/waddles get very red when they are ready to lay - the girls make lots and lots of noise (like they just laid an egg but haven't) and they seem very talkative in general. The juveniles make noises but not like the 6 that are starting to lay. I'm getting 1-2 eggs per day right now but I have not figured out which hens are laying them.

 

[crazyhen]

They need their roost fixed at a height that they can go to easily. I have one at 1 foot then further back and 1 foot higher.Etc. When hens get old enough their wattles and comb will turn a deep red and get a bit puffy. Sometimes about a week before they start to lay they will squat instead of running when you start to pick them up. Their wings sort of crouched around them. Its a protective stance to keep their eggs from getting harmed inside of them. There is a lot to learn but it is fun and work. Jean PS If you look at their vent(bottoms) you will notce that the opening is larger and not as tight. It will look sort of moist too. Be careful of a poop when looking. LOL Jean

 

[Mrs.Puff]

When they are getting ready to go into laying, the hen's combs will usually turn a brighter red, the roosters take much more notice of them, they might look around in the nest boxes and such. When they want to lay an egg right NOW, they'll go into a nest box, or they might wander around kinda frantically making noises and looking all over for a place to put their egg.

Yes, they will fly up to their roost. You can't make the roosts too high, or they can't reach them. You should not have to build a little ramp to the roost or boxes. Some types of birds don't fly that well, such as heavy breeds and silkies, so you want to put their roosts/nestboxes lower.

 

[your_pal_skip]

My BO will NOT go up or down the floor door that joins the coop to the run underneath. She won't do it with a ramp or without a ramp. She also won't jump onto the roost that's two or three feet high. She would have spent the night on the floor in the run if I hadn't gone out and placed her back in the coop after dark. Do I need to lower the roost? Should I put some kind of "step" under the door? I thought maybe the door was too small, but it's 12x15 inches already and I can't see any way of making it bigger without demolishing all my precious floor space.

If she keeps being so stubborn I'm going to have to re-do my whole layout, and I just don't have as much yard to work with as most people. At least I'm getting these kinks worked out early before I can't keep my chicks in the house anymore.