Lilly is a Slacker!

Farmgirl1878

Crowing
6 Years
Mar 17, 2017
1,106
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362
Piketon, Ohio
My Coop
My Coop
My pullet, Lilly, hatched out on 23 May of this year. She’s one of eight hens, the older seven of whom were hatched on 16 July, 2018. Lilly is, of course, at the bottom of the pecking order, but is not overly shy or afraid of anything or anyone. She’s very good at avoiding conflict and likes to hang out with the rest of the flock like a “normal” chicken.

She’s large (as was her mother), eats normally, drinks normally, behaves normally. She just hasn’t started laying yet. (Her Mother was a late bloomer too, but started laying at around six months.) Her face, comb, and wattles have been rosy for several months, but have been a darker red for the last couple of days.

She has liked to hang out in the nest box since she was a chick - keeps her away from the rest of the girls - so I can’t tell if she’s just hanging out, or is contemplating egg laying... How much longer do you guys think it might be before she lays her first egg? And obtw, the older girls are all molting and haven’t laid a single egg in two months!

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My pullet, Lilly, hatched out on 23 May of this year. She’s one of eight hens, the older seven of whom were hatched on 16 July, 2018. Lilly is, of course, at the bottom of the pecking order, but is not overly shy or afraid of anything or anyone. She’s very good at avoiding conflict and likes to hang out with the rest of the flock like a “normal” chicken.

She’s large (as was her mother), eats normally, drinks normally, behaves normally. She just hasn’t started laying yet. (Her Mother was a late bloomer too, but started laying at around six months.) Her face, comb, and wattles have been rosy for several months, but have been a darker red for the last couple of days.

She has liked to hang out in the nest box since she was a chick - keeps her away from the rest of the girls - so I can’t tell if she’s just hanging out, or is contemplating egg laying... How much longer do you guys think it might be before she lays her first egg? And obtw, the older girls are all molting and haven’t laid a single egg in two months!

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She may be a slacker but she is lovely!
 
Lilly sure is a gorgeous little gal. There is a way you can tell if Lilly is going to be laying her first egg soon. Hold her on your lap with her head facing in toward your body. Then locate the two bony knobs on each side of her vent.

If you can fit two of your fingers side by side in between the two pelvic bones, Lilly will be squirting that first egg out within a week.

If you can only fit one finger in between the pelvic bones, I'm afraid you will just have to be content to keep admiring Lilly's beauty while waiting for those bones to spread out to two fingers worth. Given that we are having our shortest day in just a few days, it could take a while for the days to get long enough to trigger Lilly's hormones.
 
Is she squatting yet? My EE laid her first egg today and it was 5 days ago that she squatted when I approached her. Of course daylight has a lot to fo with it too.
She just started squatting this week! Bertha, my EE hen, just laid her first since starting her first adult molt two months ago. None of the other girls are laying again yet. But they’re beginning to squabble (especially my other EE, Puff), so I’m sure it won’t be long now ‘til the Lovely Lily lays her first egg. I’m not in any hurry - we are just eating Eggland’s Best in the meantime.

it’ll be interesting to see how the pecking order develops. Lily pecked the alpha hen (my Salmon Faverolle) right in the head today! I think I shocked everyone, including Lily!
 

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