My barred rock clucked like she was laying an egg but there was no egg.

[Soot the silkie]

Daphne is the barred rock laying down.

My 16 week old girl Daphne clucked what was definitely an egg cluck, but I could find no egg. She doesn't squat or show any signs of being ready to lay other than her egg cluck. Also, my chickens coop is small and simple so I should have been able to find an egg if there was one.

 

[NotableNancy]

Mine do this all the time! I hear the egg song and head out there and the nest is empty. Daphne is probably just practicing. You should have eggs in a few weeks. I can't see really well from the picture but the comb doesn't look really big and red yet. Maybe just the picture though.
And don't go by squatting because not all chickens squat. You should see her going in and out of the nest when she's getting close to laying though.
Good luck... So hard to wait for that first egg!

 

[iwiw60]

At 16 weeks she's really really too young just yet to be laying. While she IS showing signs by her talkative chatter (and boy, can they TALK!), it's when you see them do the "submissive squat" that you'll know they are getting really close to lay. One of mine got so talkative that it about drove me nuts! Then shortly after she started doing the submissive squat it got even worse. She go in the coop...outta the coop...in the coop...outta the coop. Back and forth, back and forth. I must have made 18 thousand trips out there anticipating the first egg...nope! Then one day she turned real quiet for some reason, walked into the coop, into a nesting box, laid her first egg, walked back out into the run and THEN did the egg song gloriously!! Chickens...go figure...

 

[Soot the silkie]

iwiw60, I have definitely heard that chickens can lay at 16 weeks. Maybe it depends on the breed of chickens you have. Barred rocks can lay pretty early. Not saying it's not true that she may not be laying for a while yet.