Possibly close to laying???

[KikiDeAnime]

Yesterday while I was out with the flock, I noticed that not only was our mother hen jumping into the coop to inspect it but one of our black hens was. I'm still not sure which of the 4 black hens it was because we have 2 black Sex Links(hens), 1 black Olive Egger(hen), and 1 black Australorp(pullet). I don't really expect our mother hen Mouse, who is a Bantam Cochin/Silkie mix, to actually lay a bunch before she decides to go broody again. I've had the nesting box blocked off until I know they're ready to lay.

We currently have 4 pullets who will be laying their first eggs this year so I'm really excited.
I haven't been able to check them as they're currently be cautious around me due to me constantly picking up the cockerel. I know it's due to that because ever since I started picking up him up, they've been staying away from me which is recent.

Is it possible that they're getting close to laying??
When should I open up the nesting box??

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Another thing I wanted to ask here instead of making a new post but when will I know that Spotted Elk has bred the hens? I planned on having our mother hen hatching some eggs out for me.

 

[HeavensHens88]

Well, how old are your pullets? They usually start popping out eggs anywhere from 18-24 (4-6 months) weeks, depending on the breed.
Usually, you'll see their comb, wattles, and face darkening right around the first lay. Also, they might begin squatting for you as they would to be mounted by a rooster.
You can also check the distancing between their pubic bones, which is done by gently placing fingers between the two bones on either side of their vent -but don't press into the vent. Generally, if you can fit two or more fingers there, she's definitely about to lay.
They also need at least 10 hours of daylight to start laying, which they might not get at this time of the year if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.

As for being bred, you'll probably witness it...quite a lot. Roosters, especially cockerels, are pretty zealous. Another sign of mating is feather loss on the girls' back/saddle areas from treading.

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Well, how old are your pullets? They usually start popping out eggs anywhere from 18-24 (4-6 months) weeks, depending on the breed.
Usually, you'll see their comb, wattles, and face darkening right around the first lay. Also, they might begin squatting for you as they would to be mounted by a rooster.
You can also check the distancing between their pubic bones, which is done by gently placing fingers between the two bones on either side of their vent -but don't press into the vent. Generally, if you can fit two or more fingers there, she's definitely about to lay.
They also need at least 10 hours of daylight to start laying, which they might not get at this time of the year if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.

As for being bred, you'll probably witness it...quite a lot. Roosters, especially cockerels, are pretty zealous. Another sign of mating is feather loss on the girls' back/saddle areas from treading.

2 of the pullets are 8 months old and the other 2 are between 5-7 months old.
The hens range between 1-2 years old.
And as I stated in my post, I haven't been able to check them as they keep running away from me. You probably didn't read that part.

 

[HeavensHens88]

2 of the pullets are 8 months old and the other 2 are between 5-7 months old.
The hens range between 1-2 years old.
And as I stated in my post, I haven't been able to check them as they keep running away from me. You probably didn't read that part.

Then they're pretty close. Giving them access to the nesting boxes would be a good idea. And if you'd like eggs sooner than later, providing a few hours of artificial lighting can get them to the necessary 10-14 hours needed to produce in the dark days of winter.
Ah, well, you still might be able to notice the significant change in the reddening of their faces from a distance. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait out those eggs to know for sure.
Hopefully you get some soon!

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Then they're pretty close. Giving them access to the nesting boxes would be a good idea. And if you'd like eggs sooner than later, providing a few hours of artificial lighting can get them to the necessary 10-14 hours needed to produce in the dark days of winter.
Ah, well, you still might be able to notice the significant change in the reddening of their faces from a distance. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait out those eggs to know for sure.
Hopefully you get some soon!

I normally put fake eggs in just to keep them from forgetting where to lay, when should I add those?
Also, some of them tend to try to lay in the baby chick coop that I keep open as a hiding place within their yard. Should I put some in there as well?

 

[HeavensHens88]

I normally put fake eggs in just to keep them from forgetting where to lay, when should I add those?
Also, some of them tend to try to lay in the baby chick coop that I keep open as a hiding place within their yard. Should I put some in there as well?

Fake eggs are fantastic. I still use them with my 5-year-and-up hens to keep eggs from ending up in foreign places. They're great for discouraging any egg-eating, as well.
If you're fine with them laying in there, sure!

 

[KikiDeAnime]

Fake eggs are fantastic. I still use them with my 5-year-and-up hens to keep eggs from ending up in foreign places. They're great for discouraging any egg-eating, as well.
If you're fine with them laying in there, sure!

We haven't had a egg eater since 2017 when one of our polish hens had stopped laying.
And yeah as long as we're getting eggs, I don't mind them laying there. The only time I don't want them laying in there, is when our mother hen is raising baby chicks in there.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

Well, how old are your pullets? They usually start popping out eggs anywhere from 18-24 (4-6 months) weeks, depending on the breed.
Usually, you'll see their comb, wattles, and face darkening right around the first lay. Also, they might begin squatting for you as they would to be mounted by a rooster.
You can also check the distancing between their pubic bones, which is done by gently placing fingers between the two bones on either side of their vent -but don't press into the vent. Generally, if you can fit two or more fingers there, she's definitely about to lay.
They also need at least 10 hours of daylight to start laying, which they might not get at this time of the year if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.

As for being bred, you'll probably witness it...quite a lot. Roosters, especially cockerels, are pretty zealous. Another sign of mating is feather loss on the girls' back/saddle areas from treading.

If you want, you could always add supplemental lighting on a timer...but it’s tricky..you have to add it in very small increments...ideally they need 14 hrs of daylight for laying great...this an article that @aart showed me about lighting the correct way..https://the-chicken-chick.com/supplemental-light-in-coop-why-how/. It’s a really good read...but you could just be patient and let nature do it’s thing.....we were patient for a very long time...then we bought many more pull and our eggs were selling well, so we decided to use lighting

 

[Duckfarmer1]

We haven't had a egg eater since 2017 when one of our polish hens had stopped laying.
And yeah as long as we're getting eggs, I don't mind them laying there. The only time I don't want them laying in there, is when our mother hen is raising baby chicks in there.

When I had an egg eater I just grabbed some oval shaped rocks out of our landscaping..it worked..no more issues

 

[aart]

I haven't been able to check them as they keep running away from me.

I do all exams off the roost at night...they are much easier to 'catch' then!