Is she ready to lay or just tricking us?

[RosemaryChicks]

So we have 5 hens (a rhr, buff orp, barred rock, blue laced red wyandotte, and an ameraucana). We have had them for 31 weeks so they are between 31 & 32 weeks old. We only have one laying at the moment. Here is my question/issue.

Our red is our only layer and has been doing so for 7 weeks now. We get about 6 eggs a week from her. Last week I went to check on the girls and she was in the box doing her thing so I left them alone and came back later. She was finished but my buff was in the same box and looked to be doing her thing. When I went back later there was only one fairly large egg. So it seems that the buff was just sitting on her sisters egg.

Then today I am home sick from work (we are in So California so no snow storm) and heard the egg song. I went out to the coop and the only one inside is my buff singing away. Again it was another decent size egg.

Is it possible that she is sitting on her sister's egg and thinking it is hers? Or is she getting ready to lay herself?

We are very impatient for someone else to start laying.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

There's a chance she's getting ready and there's a chance she's trying to go broody on you. My buffs go broody constantly haha the first started at 5 months...in the neighbors yard.

 

[justplainbatty]

So we have 5 hens (a rhr, buff orp, barred rock, blue laced red wyandotte, and an ameraucana). We have had them for 31 weeks so they are between 31 & 32 weeks old. We only have one laying at the moment. Here is my question/issue.

Our red is our only layer and has been doing so for 7 weeks now. We get about 6 eggs a week from her. Last week I went to check on the girls and she was in the box doing her thing so I left them alone and came back later. She was finished but my buff was in the same box and looked to be doing her thing. When I went back later there was only one fairly large egg. So it seems that the buff was just sitting on her sisters egg.

Then today I am home sick from work (we are in So California so no snow storm) and heard the egg song. I went out to the coop and the only one inside is my buff singing away. Again it was another decent size egg.

Is it possible that she is sitting on her sister's egg and thinking it is hers? Or is she getting ready to lay herself?

We are very impatient for someone else to start laying.

Welcome to our flock! Are all the eggs exactly the same? It could be that they are both laying if the eggs look different. If the buff is in the box, she is getting ready to lay. It is very common for the hens to use the same nest box, the buff has seen that that box was already chosen as safe and comfy so she will want to lay in there too.

 

[RosemaryChicks]

All of the eggs are very similar. Attached is the last week + worth of eggs. When our red started laying the eggs were small and we haven't had a small one in a while which makes me think these are all still her eggs. We only have 2 boxes so we knew they would be sharing, and of course they all have been checking out the same box.

 

[BayBay Peepers]

I would think you'll see a second egg any day now.

 

[justplainbatty]

Yes it does look like the same bird so far. The others will come along shortly.

 

[RosemaryChicks]

Well maybe I should have complained sooner. This is what was in the coop when we got home from work. It looks larger in the photo than in real life, but for a first egg its pretty big. I'm guessing it was my buff but my barred rock was squatting when I was petting her the other day and then again yesterday. So who knows. We only have 2 nesting boxes and my red always lays in the left one, both of these eggs were in the right. The right egg does look exactly like all the other eggs we have already gotten so maybe she wanted to change it up today?

 

[justplainbatty]

I have buffs and RIR's, the eggs in your hand look like one of each. In your hand, the egg on the left looks like buff and the other like a red. I've never owned a BR so I could be wrong.......you'll figure it out.