Is this hen ready to lay??

[capebird]

I've been waiting patiently for my girls to start laying. They are 18 weeks old now.
This one shown in the attached pict is the most developed with here wattles and comb.
Does she look like she might lay soon?
Thanks

 

[nurse_turtle]

I was wondering the same thing about my girls. They are about 20 weeks.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yup, she does. You might be disappointed with the small pullet eggs she lays for the first month, but yes, she looks quite ready. I've got a bunch that look just like her. They've been laying for a month or so.

 

[lcammack]

We have three BR's that looked as red/developed as yours and they didn't start to lay until after about 24 weeks. They were red at about 18ish weeks. Have they started to squat yet? I was told that it might be today, might be 3 weeks, but it will happen when they feel like it! Very frustrating waiting for that first egg.

 

[chickenpredatorkiller]

yup. If you look at her behind...

and the fluffy feathers that are under her tail feathers are kind of like half a sphere looking (really poofy) then she is even closer. Is she squatting?

 

[Desert Rooster]

they will usually squat when you approach them from behind right before they start to lay, but both Cape and nurse's pics looks like any day now

 

[capebird]

Hi... thanks for the replies.
No squatting yet, so far as I can tell... but I've been keeping an eye out for it.
Very vocal though.

Nice looking hens there... Nurse_Turtle

 

[nurse_turtle]

Yea, I check the box every day. I haven't noticed squatting but when I stroke her from neck to tail, she squats and I've seen my roo "Emu" loving on his girls. Not sure if the dominiques are any slower to lay than the barreds.

 

[mochicken]

If it helps any my Barred Rock pullets just started laying and I just found one sitting on several eggs yesterday under my sons slide.

Piece of advice, go ahead and put an egg in the nests and show them where its at, it did the trick for mine today, obviously they wont lay just because you do this but it will help guide them in the right direction as to where they should lay.

 

[capebird]

I have 2 nest boxes and put a golf ball in each. When I open the nest boxes, which are mounted
on the outside of their coop... they all come up and get into the nest boxes to look out...which I take
as a good sign.