She squats, she cackles........

[luvmychicknkids]

and I can't believe I am admitting this, but I even looked at her vent and it looks bigger and moister than my other girl her age (I feel kinda gross saying that). Her comb is bright red. She is about 17 weeks old (maybe, my brain went bye bye) and she is HUGE. Soooooooo...........the question of the hour is.....where are the eggs? She has yet to lay one. I know she isn't hiding them because there is nowhere for her to do that. Is it possible she is just getting ready....REALLY ready, before laying?

 

[Amethyste]

My girls did that too... took them a few weeks of me shaking my finger at them and saying "The book and the forums SAY this means you are supposed to lay very soon!!!"

However they proceeeded to ignore me and lay within a couple of weeks lol

Stubborn birdies!

I can almost hear them "I'll do what I want!! You can't tell ME what to do!!" Typical teenage girls lol

 

[Guitartists]

I have noticed my pullets combs are getting red..... I keep checking for that wondrous FIRST egg... so far no eggs!

 

[Portia]

Some of my girls have started laying and some are still working it out. It is not uncommon for me to find a hen sitting in a nesting box for a good 30 minutes; arranging and clucking contentedly. Then she leaves and....no egg. This is especially true for those that either haven't started laying yet, or I have only received 1-2 eggs from. I have no idea whether this is normal or not, but I just figure they are working it out.
This morning has been particularly tumultulous as they all seem to want to sit in the same nest, so when one is in the next stands in front or near her and squawks up a storm. More often than not the setter leaves, without depositing an egg, and the next one enters. I've found many of them coming back for second or 3rd settings, so I guess they are trying it out for size in preparation? So far 7/14 have produced at least 1 egg...maybe more today. I can say one thing though, my girls lay throughout the day, one is even a mid-late afternoon layer. So much for collecting the eggs in the morning

 

[arlee453]

All thing come to those who wait....

My girls always tease me for a few weeks until they finally produce that egg

It will happen, I promise....but give her another 3 weeks at least before you start threatening her with the stew pot!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I think maybe if you hold her firmly and shake her up and down, maybe an egg will fall out.




[just kidding]

 

[goatkeepers]

Buff, good idea, I haven't tried that yet.

I am waiting on my 3 RIRs as well. They are about 18 weeks old, maybe 19 and no egg yet.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Quote:
I would NEVER do that....I plan to squeeze instead of shake!!!

Seriously, I have threatened her with a good squeeze and she just gives me the evil eye!!! I have got to the point where I check about a million times a day. The chickens look at me like "oh, YOU again???" LOL

 

[Buff Hooligans]

The way I got our Buff Orps to start laying was to nonchalantly act like I didn't care a whit about whether they EVER did or not. Didn't care a bit.

 

[All about the EGG]

Our sex links are 15 weeks, and we have been getting small eggs, mainly by one hen. Well today we got two eggs! One small (from another hen), and one medium...it was a double yolker too!