Pecking order in a two-hen household

[DustBathSpaDay]

It's easy to tell when a hen needs to lay an egg. She will usually get very vocal (not the egg song), and she will seem to have a sense of urgency. She may act distracted and pace back and forth while she scolds and chatters. Those are usually the obvious ones. Yours may be more discrete.

Most hens will prefer to lay at certain times of the day, and you'll get to know when that is for your hen. Make the nest available, and even if she gets into the nest before you can remove the diaper, you'll have time before she lays the egg.

 

[DustBathSpaDay]

Thank you for your reply. This is very reassuring. I work from home and will be around them most of the day, so I'll keep their nests near me, pay close attention to any of these signs, and let them train me to recognize when they need to get undressed. This is one of the best parts of having a new pet. Getting to know them and their habits and needs. Thank you for being so kind and helpful!

 

[feathermaid]

I'm bringing together all their indoor "furniture" now! I have a coop for them to sleep in and have nesting boxes all ready. I also have a big square run for them that I'll keep in the living room through the winter so they can play together and hang out with everybody without getting stepped on by our big dog, and so the other pets can get used to them without getting too close. I'll move it outside when it gets warm so they can play out there when I'm indoors. When I'm out with them, they'll be free to "free range"! There's a nice dirt bath area in the garden that Ollie loved and that I've kept covered so it'll be good for them when they're ready.
Ollie always spent a good bit of time outside when it was nice out, and so will these girls.
They'll sleep indoors, though. We have a hawk nearby who has always made me nervous, and a lot of nocturnal critters. Ollie always liked his bedtime routine and seemed very happy to go to bed in his room. I don't think it was bad for him since he lived to be eleven and never had any illness until he developed testicular cancer.
I'll have to consult the folks at chickendiapers.com or other folks on BackYard Chickens who have indoor chickens about handling egg laying for hens who use diapers indoors!
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on how to know when a hen is about to lay an egg so I can learn how to anticipate that and get their pants off!
Thanks so much for your thoughtful note, "Flappy Feathers"! It's a pleasure meeting you!

Wow, it really sounds like you've got your ducks in a row (I mean chickens) and on the way to being another great chicken mom!
The only other thing I can think of to recommend is to provide your little ones with a dust bath in the brooder too, until they're allowed to go outside. Even tiny little chickies like to roll in the dirt (or sand) it's so cute!
I've never had silkies or bantams but they do sound like pretty great little birds to have.
And even if you make some mistakes along the way, everyone who owns chickens (or any animals for that matter) experiences a bit of a learning curve. It's how we make ourselves better. Good luck with your new babies
It was nice to meet you too!