Pacing after first lay

[taralynnc]

First time chicken owner here (4 hens) and was super excited to get our first egg this morning! It was in the run but that is OK -- am probably way more excited than I should be Anyway, it is hot as hell here in NJ today and all are laying around in clearly feeling the heat but my layer is pacing like nothing doing - running back and forth between the coop and run and just generally being nutty. She didn't pay any mind to the egg she layed this morning - could she be looking for it now? Or ready to lay again? Not familiar with chicken behavior yet but this is somewhat out of character for her.

 

[aart]

Newly laying pullets can act pretty weird.
Might try putting the egg and the bird in a nest.
Do you have fake eggs in the nests?

 

[taralynnc]

Thanks. She calmed down later that day but has been quite chatty with me. No egg yet this AM :-( She loves to go in the nesting box and pull out all the hay! If I get another egg I will put in the box. Seems I have had such an easy time with them thus far they have done just about everything they were supposed to on instinct alone.

 

[LJ33]

Thanks. She calmed down later that day but has been quite chatty with me. No egg yet this AM :-( She loves to go in the nesting box and pull out all the hay! If I get another egg I will put in the box. Seems I have had such an easy time with them thus far they have done just about everything they were supposed to on instinct alone.

One of my first year hens is acting like a crazy woman too LOL. Very similar to the behavior you described and I was sure she was going to lay her first egg, but nope. They are such funny birds.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Mine still get vocal before laying, then graduate to the pre-egg song, stalk the(favored) nest box, find it occupied, complain about that fact, come back 5 minutes later and repeat the entire process before laying. After that they finally cram themselves into said favored box and around an hour later emerge with sometimes a little and sometimes a lot of egg song to locate flockmates.

 

[aart]

Thanks. She calmed down later that day but has been quite chatty with me. No egg yet this AM :-( She loves to go in the nesting box and pull out all the hay! If I get another egg I will put in the box. Seems I have had such an easy time with them thus far they have done just about everything they were supposed to on instinct alone.

Do you have any fake eggs?
Better to use those due to the prodigious messing of the nests that pullets often do.
Good that she's been checking out the nests,
but it can take them up to a month or so to get things smoothed out.