Pullet at POL, will hen show her the ropes?

[maryn7]

I've got two birds - a BR hen that will be two in April and a Light Brahma pullet. The Light Brahma's face has been reddening and she just started squatting in the last week. She's about 6-7 months, so right on schedule.

When our original two girls got to POL in 2020, we did *way* too much work showing the girls the egg boxes, putting them in the egg boxes, checking to see if they'd been shifted, etc. I was excited that my hens would be able to show younger girls what to do without my intervention (or, rather, me feeling like I should help).

However, my (now) remaining original hen had a bad molt while also losing her bestie (which is why we added the LB), so we haven't seen an egg out of her since October - and she's showing no signs of squatting or returning to lay. I doubt she'll be back in an egg box before the LB needs to use it. There is a fake wooden egg in each box.

I went out and put the LB in the egg box today, and she looked at me like I had two heads. It's clearly never dawned on her to go in one of them before. And she didn't seem to like what she found there, as she left immediately.

She's also... I don't know why I'm being polite, she's not going to read this - she's not exactly the brightest chicken I've ever met and is a little over the top about everything she does. Even her squats are extremely extra - she's vibrating and waggling everything under her wings. It would not surprise me if she laid an egg in the middle of their feeder or something; many of her decisions are perplexing to me (and, seemingly, to the other hen).

Do you think my hen will kind of point out the egg boxes to her? Or should I give her a few more trips to the egg box? Or just let her figure it out?

(She's truly such a lovely little weirdo. I think she's trying to play with my BR; she'll look real hard at her and then do something to make the BR chase her. It really seems intentional, and she seems to adore the subsequent running around, flapping her wings.)

 

[Auntiejessi3]

She'll figure it out on her own

 

[maryn7]

I hope so! You should see her long period of deep consideration before going in the coop each night.

She's her own girl, that's for sure.

Thanks!

 

[Yardmom]

When she is really ready she will look for a good place to lay. Small spaces like nest boxes and places where other "eggs" are are what she will look for. She will figure it out on her own.

 

[maryn7]

Well, the Brahma laid her first, perfect egg today!

...In a nest she made on the floor in the coop.

I'd seen her digging around the day before last, and redirected her to the egg box. She explored it when I put my arm across it to prevent her leaving. And then was like, 'ok this is very cool', and hopped out. I put some shaving across the fake egg in each box, so I know she hasn't explored any of them further.

The egg was still very warm at 7:30 this morning, so going to try @rosemarythyme's stalking trick and put her in there while she's laying tomorrow. My other girls have used them just fine, so I don't think the boxes themselves are the issue.

In fairness to her, we've had a weird few days. Her sister, the BR, broke off two toenails (seems to be cold-related, we've had negative F for the past few days and she's a big-time digger). We dealt with one during the day, but the second must have broken right before bed, and she bled all over the roosting bar. Went to check on them the next morning, and they're both *covered* in blood all over their chests, where they'd roosted in it all night. So I ran a chicken spa for a few hours, cleaning and treating feet, washing and drying birds.

The Brahma had *the best* time - she did the full sunning flop in my lap while I was washing her down and nearly fell asleep. I had to put her back out when she was dry because she was having so much fun in the utility room, and the BR needed some quiet and downtime.

She is a delight, but a very unusual, exuberant chicken. I could not have been less surprised that the egg was both perfection AND not where it was supposed to be this morning.

 

[K0k0shka]

Your pullet sounds like a hoot! I love the weird ones. She'll figure it out.

I have a hen that does weird squats, too. In addition to vibrating, she also stomps her feet really hard and really fast. If she happens to be in the coop on the wooden floor, it sounds like horses galloping! It's hilarious.

 

[maryn7]

Omg yes. She also does the stamping. It is thunderous!

Unfortunately, it looks like today's egg was not actually her first. I found a broken one in her makeshift nest. She was real concerned when I removed it. I told her *this* is why we don't lay eggs on the floor....

 

[Mrs. K]

I would put the fake egg in 'her' nest on the floor. Wait for a couple of days or two. Then remove all of the bedding that she is making the nest with and the fake egg. Putting the fake egg in the nest where you want her to lay. She will go in there, and not finding her nest, she will find another place that some chicken thought was a good idea, and lay there from then on.

Mrs K

 

[maryn7]

I'll give it a go!

This morning, she's very annoyed about the bucket I put on top of the fabulous nest she made. Put her in the egg box, and the only real thing that happened before she hopped out was kicking out the wooden egg onto the floor.

She's the best.

 

[maryn7]

Welp, the bucket and redirect to the egg box this morning seems to have done the trick - found her egg where it was meant to be about an hour later.

We're both very proud.

Thanks for the advice!