She's making the noise but she ain't laying.

[Moochie]

You know how in the morning the laying pullets and hens will make that noise that sounds like "ARRRRRRR ARRRR ARRRRR"? Then a little while later you'll see them in the nest box.. My strange bantam BO has been making these noises but isn't laying. She is being fed layer mash and protein and calcium goods.

Sugar is almost a year old too! I would say she will be very soon, she was born in August last year. I'm not too sure what hatchery she came from, one in San Fernando I believe, and she came with a a bunch of standard BOs.
Should I be worried? She has never layed an egg before.

 

[gamechicken]

well give her time and she will it takes 30 minutes to lay an egg and she may be trying 2 fine a place 2 lay

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

My girls started singing the song about 2 weeks before I saw the first egg.
I would hear it, run outside, search every square inch of the coop, and stare at the hen singing. She just stared back happily, singing "boc boc boc baGAWK" for no apparent reason.
The eggs did come, tho!
Hope yours does, and soon!

 

[gamechicken]

well in fact my just had one about 5 minutes ago

 

[teach1rusl]

Wow - a year old and never laid an egg??? That is strange. Are you certain??? I hope she's not an internal layer

 

[Moochie]

Quote:
Her original owner had her in a cage with a blind hen and she confirmed that Sugar has never layed before. Her comb and wattles weren't developed at all, and her face had no color. It was a dark cage (looked like a rabbit hutch actually) so maybe she didn't have much color because of not being in the sun. It is strange and I'm still researching to unravel the mysteries of little Sugar.
Internal laying?

Maybe she wasn't meant to lay because of her body structure? I'll get a pic of her, she came with LF buff orps according to the original owner, and not even she knew why Sugar looks the way she does.

 

[Moochie]

This is her next to a cochin who never leaves her side.

I trim her beak and nails when they get too long. Her eyes are pink, while a LF BO that I have has brown eyes... Her body is very stout and she loses her balance when she preens, so I help her preen. A year old, my little Sugar... Has never layed or has gone broody.

 

[teach1rusl]

Ohhh...her story is sad.

I'm glad she's with someone now who can let her live a more normal chicken life.

There are certain breeds who might just lay a few eggs a year (I've never heard of a bantam orpington?). And based on how you described her, she does sound "special needs" physically, so that might just be it. How much she was born with, and how much was affected by her first year of poor environment, who knows??
I do know that sometimes my hens will sit on the nest, sing the egg song, and there's nothing there. I don't know if they feel a hormonal spike, or a physical urge that they THINK is an egg coming or what

But that may be what that little girl is going through. Or if someone else is laying, many hens will sing the egg song for their buddy (in support of I guess...lol). Anyhow, I hope that little bird gets to live out her life with you - cause it sounds like she's in good hands now