Since Bossy gave me an egg two weeks after squatting, the fact that 5 weeks have gone by since my second lady squatted and 3 since the 3rd and 4th did with no one else laying is starting to worry me a bit. So what's folks' experience here with time to squat vs. time to lay? I realize it's possible that Miss Bossy Beak was squatting earlier and I missed it, but I *am* curious to see a tab of what people have noticed.
I have noticed that it takes between 2-4 weeks before they lay after they squat. That is for all of the birds I have so far, Black Copper Marans (two weeks), Barnevelders (2-3 weeks), Welsummers (1-2-3 weeks), Ameraucana (1 week), Auraucana( seems like forever.... (3-5 weeks), Blue Laced Red Wyandottes (2 weeks), and Delawares about 1 week and then it's everyday eggs. It has a lot to do with where they get their food from... free ranging is good because they exercise their flight muscles which are involved in laying eggs. Lots of water increases their laying and of course good layer feed always available.
My EE squatted longer than the others in the flock before she laid. 3 or 4 weeks. I lost count. But she's laid nice eggs ever since. The others were 1 or 2 weeks squatting.
So I ask this question today and naturally I get a totally different egg today. And I think it's a welsummer egg, and they haven't squatted for me at all. Go figure XP
