Squating or Laying: which comes first?

[aart]

I've found a that good cockbird mating a pullet is the surest sign that eggs are very close.
Free ranging is another story, if you are unwilling to confine them, egg hunts are in your future...hope you can find that nest.

 

[wild chick]

Hi @aart - you always give sound advice; are you saying that egg hunts are inevitable because of the flighty breed or in general? This 6 month-old variety pack has 2 flighty and the rest are docile breeds, none are pets though. All the older ones are wyandottes and they had no problem using the nests when they started laying. Also hoping that since the elders aren't laying and the coop is quiet all day that will help this younger generation to get in the egg nests without competition. (There are no bullies, just the usual pecking order). And yes, I consider this rooster a pretty good bird the way he is to the girls. I haven't seen him on a hen since the day before our last egg. Thoughts?

 

[aart]

Hi are you saying that egg hunts are inevitable because of the flighty breed or in general?

In general mostly, but 'flighty' could be a part of the equation too.
The older ones could show the youngers the way...or bully them away from nests...or a bit of both.
It's hard to say what exactly makes an individual bird lay where they choose to lay.
They are creatures of habit tho, and if you manipulate their environment you can 'help' them create 'good' habits..the habits you want them to have.

They need to feel 'safe' when laying, adding fake eggs to nests shows them 'this must be a safe place to lay'. They don't necessarily need dark or 'privacy' ..they just need to feel safe....many aspects to 'safe'.

Confining them to coop and run, reduces the choices they have as to where to lay. The stress of confining a usually free ranged bird may work against you. My birds are confined full time, but I have read of many who confine their birds and free range them. Getting them used to being confined gives you options, like when you need to train to lay in coop nests or when a predator event makes ranging them too risky for a time. Those are my thoughts, you'll have to decide how you want to manage your flock.

 

[wild chick]

Thanks @aart - as always, thoughtful advice. I try not to confine unless I have to, and I kinda wanted to see if the flighty breeds would just be a pain or if they would encourage my more homebound breeds to expand their territory. I'm loving all the birds and their different personalities. Since there are now zero older birds in the coop/egg nest area all day only a pullet getting in the laying mode would be drawn there and find it quiet and safe so I'm crossing my fingers that's how they will learn. They all go to the coop & roost at dark-thirty, all I have to do is close the door. I open it at dawn & the "road runners" as I like to call them, come out first and eventually the "duel purpose" come out. No one ever returns to the coop area all day except the laying hens. The only predators we've had were neighbor dogs before fencing them out and a couple of hawk attacks, but I have nesting ravens nearby and they are the BEST at keeping hawks away! 2 losses in 3 years, living surrounded by thousands of acres of nat'l forest, I feel pretty lucky. If I don't find an egg or 3 or 5 by Jan 1st I'll lock up the pullets!

 

[smudge]

I have a June '18 hatch of 7 different breeds, now nearing 6 months old. There are two expected early maturing: an Egyptian Fayoumis and an Ancona. They all free range with the one rooster & 6 hens hatched 2016 and 3 hens hatched 2017 - so a very mixed-age flock. The older ones all went through a pretty heavy molt, quit laying & no color to their combs/wattles yet. No eggs since the first week of November. I saw the rooster breeding the E.F. today but I've not seen any eggs in the nests. All nests have a fake egg. Will the pullets squat for a while before egg production or do I need to start looking for eggs in the wild? I'm trying this New Chicks every year so I get pullets starting to lay when the elders need a winter break. Those store eggs are awful!!!

My June hatched Light Brahma/Fayoumi cross pullet started hatching last weekend, so I suspect your full Fayoumi should be at any time.

However, if your's is anything like my Fayoumi hen, she might be hiding her eggs. The first eggs from my Fayoumi hen I ever found was only because of my Light Brahma roo, who apparently thought he was a Lamaze coach, echoing the first egg songs. I went to see what the clatter was and only saw the boy - the Fayoumi was under a tarp, laid her eggs in the woodpile.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Many people on here equate squatting with imminent laying. IMHO, the two are completely unrelated.
Space between pelvic bones and condition of the cloaca are the best indicators of near future eggs.
I've had over a thousand hens and out of the last couple hundred or so, not one has ever squatted - but they laid eggs. I attribute that to the fact there is always one or more mature roosters with each flock so that satisfies their desire to breed.
While it is some indication, I don't even rely on red, enlarged combs and wattles. I've had hens that never developed bright red enlarged combs but still laid eggs. I currently have a hen that had a bright red, large comb all through molt and her dearth of eggs.

 

[wild chick]

My June hatched Light Brahma/Fayoumi cross pullet started hatching last weekend, so I suspect your full Fayoumi should be at any time.

However, if your's is anything like my Fayoumi hen, she might be hiding her eggs. The first eggs from my Fayoumi hen I ever found was only because of my Light Brahma roo, who apparently thought he was a Lamaze coach, echoing the first egg songs. I went to see what the clatter was and only saw the boy - the Fayoumi was under a tarp, laid her eggs in the woodpile.

@smudge - I've never had an EF hen, but I read a lot about them and so I knew if anyone would hide eggs it would be her. I'm watching closely and the first time I don't see her with the flock I'll go hunting! Is your LB/F cross hen still hiding eggs or did you try locking her in the coop or did she just learn to go on her own? Not too many EF fans on BYC, probably because they are rogues.

 

[wild chick]

"I've had over a thousand hens and out of the last couple hundred or so, not one has ever squatted - but they laid eggs. I attribute that to the fact there is always one or more mature roosters with each flock so that satisfies their desire to breed."

@ChickenCanoe - I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this. What I was referring to as squatting is the hen letting the rooster breed her. I don't keep these birds as pets, so I don't pet them on the back to see if they squat. If they squawk and run and/or rejecting rooster advances, or he just never makes advances toward one, I assumed she is most likely not producing eggs (and I realize there are exceptions to everything). My rooster wanted nothing to do with the pullets until recently and I assume it is because he knows there is no need to breed a non-producing pullet. So when I saw the EF letting him breed with no argument, I was sure that eggs were either happening or on the way. Am I misunderstanding or do you have all these laying hens with roosters and they don't ever let him breed them?

 

[wild chick]

LOOKIE! She sat in the nest box today for over an hour. No egg, but she's in the designated place! @aart - it makes me feel good that I have provided a safe-feeling place for this crazy feral chicken! Thanks for all the input, BYC - now to be patient...