Signs of laying

[kjducharme]

Is there any way to tell when they are going to start laying? Ours are almost 4 months so we're hoping that they'll start soon. And how do you know which hens have laid? I've seen many posts where people have eluded to knowing which hen their eggs came from.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You usually know which hens have laid if you have several different breeds but not if they're all the same.

Combs start turning darker red when ready to lay. They also check out the nest box more often and sit in it for a while a few days before.

 

[LovinChicknFarmn]

Their combs will get super red when they're close to laying (though they could have bright red combs and you'll still wait a week or more for laying, but that's how you know when it's getting close). We have four that are laying right now and I can tell each egg apart by its size and shape. They all lay a particular looking egg. We figured it out based on who starting laying when and have been able to follow it ever since. Now, if you have like 40 chickens this process may be harder to follow through!

 

[Nicole01]

Squatting, checking out the nest boxes, crabbiness squawking, bigger and redder combs. Pacing back and fourth for some breeds.

My first egg came at 23 weeks. Good luck and I hope you get your egg soon!

 

[soccerbabiesmama]

This is going to sound super gross I know. But when one of my new hens is about to lay, she has a golf ball sized poop. Sure enough, within a day or two, we get an egg.

 

[Twiggers96]

Totally unproven, but I knew all my hens were going to start laying because their bum area seemed to "drop".
It was fuller/rounder/poking out more.

 

[Marcymom3]

Eager for mine to start laying too! They are 19 weeks now.

 

[daddy_roo]

I have Black Sex Links and I have not noticed the pacing but I have notticed that mine get kinda stand off-ish and squak a lot almost like theu are a roo trying to signal an alarm.

 

[turtlewomyn]

Quote:
This cracks me up because I am a doula and excessive pooping can also be a sign of a woman about to go into labor. If my clients feel brave enough to tell me when it happens I know I am going to be getting the call soon to head to their birth.

 

[lollimama]

This has my husband and I on constant watch right now! Our Maran is 20 weeks this week and our red sex link is 17 weeks. We are waiting (not too) patiently for that first egg. I keep watching their combs and they are definatly getting redder and bigger each day. My maran has been very stand-offish as of late - usually our docile and sweet one, she's been a total brat! I haven't been able to pick her up for days now. And her voice has changed in the last few weeks, shes got the the chicken sounds down - does that make sense? Every once in a while I get a false alarm becuase my old lady buff orpington (who sadly is molting and NOT laying right now) sings her victory song out of the blue so we come running thinking someone is laying (since she would do it for her friends when they lay - silly old girl- she can raise the roof if you know that I mean!! She sounds like a honking goose!)....but alas, no luck yet. We have 6 girls and no eggs!! Come on!!!!

Also, I think that the two in question have been molting - is that weird? I think all three of these girls (the Maran, red sex link and buff orpington) are molting to some degree. I hope it doesn't delay their first egg since it's at a weird time of year afterall. Argh, this chicken thing is much more complicated than I expected!