Odd Pre-Laying Behavior

[wsdareme]

I have a Delaware hen that was exhibiting some really odd behavior in the coop yesterday.

I was out there hanging around, watching the 4 hens that were in the nest boxes so I could try to determine which hen is laying each egg. Well, my Delaware hen starts running back and forth along the wall like she was in a panic.

She was looking up like she was trying to find a way to "scale the prison wall" or something. She'd jump up in one of the top nest boxes (bottoms were full), jump back down, run up and down the wall, craning her neck like she was looking for a way out. I left and went in the house for a bit, then came back out to see if anyone had laid an egg. Well, Deli was in a top nest box, stood up, strained a little bit, and presented me with an egg.

Now, I know that people have a lot of hens that do the "egg song" after they lay, but I've never seen one act so goofy BEFORE they lay their egg!

Does anyone else have hens that do weird things like that? I seriously was beginning to think there was something wrong with her! I'd love to hear other people's stories!

 

[farmerChef]

Yeah, some of my hens do the "i gotta lay an egg" dance. Its so funny to watch them, esp when there is another one in the favorite nest. A few even start almost screaming. It seems like they all line up to use that one nest.

I guess it's like the line for the women's bathroom. "hurry up!! I gotta lay!!!!"

 

[sharol]

My Golden Campine, Scout, chirps and clucks and talks and scurries around for a while before she actually lays the egg. She doesn't sing an egg song, but she is quite vocal before laying. then when the egg gets laid, it could be anywhere, the corner, a nest box, out in the run -- A couple of times she has danced over to me and laid it right in front of me in the coop on the floor. What a character. I always check the floor before I go into the coop for her eggs so I don't step on it. She lays about 5 eggs a week, and I never know where I'll find it.

 

[donnavee]

I have an EE hen that does that too. She almost sounds as if she is crying and will pace back and forth like she wants to be anywhere but there. I always know the days to expect an egg from her since she starts in the morning and doesn't quit until she finally gets into the nest box.

 

[Chihuahuamom444]

Does anyone elses crow like a rooster before she lays an egg? The first time she did it I thought somehow a rooster got in there, its her, sounds exactly like a roo

 

[karimw]

I have an EE hen that has to try 3-4 boxes before she decides to lay, but she sings the egg song each time she leaves a box even if she hasn't laid it yet

And I have 2 roos that like to sing along when the hens shout out the egg song. It can get pretty noisy in there!

 

[boysnoise210]

My Black Minorca hen, Bob, just started laying 10 days ago (at 40 weeks!). She was laying an egg every other day, so yesterday I let my flock of two (Bob and Big Red, her Ameracauna roo) out of the coop to range. I watched out my kitchen window as they (silently) jumped up in the coop, and she started "low-walking" around the floor. He stood perfectly still as she wallowed around, fell over a few times, snuggled up under his wing and all the way underneath his body. It was like she was in labor. For about 8 minutes, this went on and he never moved. I knew she had laid the egg because he turned around, she was right behind him, and they jumped out for a drink of water. There was the egg! It was the sweetest and strangest thing, and may have earned Big Red a stay of execution, as long as he learns to leave my kids alone! Weird thing is, there was no egg song, no sound at all before or after the egg laying.

Here is Big Red as protector, with Bob underneath him:

Here they are, exiting the coop:

Here is the egg!

 

[terrilhb]

What a sweet roo. That was a really nice story. Thanks for the pics too.