Squatting to be or not to be

[Rebechenson75]

I have 8 pullets that are almost 22 weeks. All but one have red combs and waddles. We ave a cockerel that is the same age.

I read on here that pullets that have a rooster won't typically squat for a human. Mine haven't squatted at all. I don't think my cockerel is sexually mature yet. Does this matter? He is a light brahma. And a handsome devil.

Should I expect squatting or not?

 

[Debbie292d]

I don't think you should necessarily expect it, or if you just had what I just happened, you would make no assumptions about sex either. A 4-month old silkie I'm positive is a cockerel, just squatted in front of the coop as I was standing there to make sure they went in. I started petting him and he squatted down just like a hen. (They're being acclimated to a new coop from where they were.)

I've had a few of my hens squat, and we have a few roosters. But I wouldn't think anything one way or the other personally.

 

[WingItRanch]

I had this exact same question earlier in the year. 11 pullets and 1 cockerel. The answer is... it depends. At the time, the girls lower in the pecking order would accept the cockerel and squat for him. The girls higher in the pecking order didn't respect him but they'd squat for me. After a month or so, the cockerel really came into his own and started tempting them with his calls and fancy dancing. The girls chose him over me. Thankfully because I didn't want to be competition. Now all but one are laying eggs and the cockerel mates them. Often...

 

[Rebechenson75]

I'm just trying to figure out how close my girls are getting to laying. I've had several who have had red combs and waddles for atleat 4 weeks. There has been no squatting yet and they are a fairly quiet flock.

I have 5 wynadottes which are suppose to be good winter layers but no eggs yet.

I guess they are going to make me wait till spring.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm just trying to figure out how close my girls are getting to laying. I've had several who have had red combs and waddles for atleat 4 weeks. There has been no squatting yet and they are a fairly quiet flock.

I have 5 wynadottes which are suppose to be good winter layers but no eggs yet.

I guess they are going to make me wait till spring.

Oh, they may just surprise you. Some new layer laid her first egg in the yard and it apparently was soft-shelled as I saw about five chickens running off with pieces of it swinging in their beaks. It was warm today at 40F, but has been in the 20s. I must say there's a first though!

 

[WingItRanch]

I'm just trying to figure out how close my girls are getting to laying. I've had several who have had red combs and waddles for atleat 4 weeks. There has been no squatting yet and they are a fairly quiet flock.

I have 5 wynadottes which are suppose to be good winter layers but no eggs yet.

I guess they are going to make me wait till spring.

Possibly! I went crazy earlier this year waiting for my eggs. Thought I'd get them around 18 weeks old. Yeah, right! More like 28 weeks. I still have one that's 8 months old that doesn't even look close to laying. She still has a pale pink comb and chirps like a chick. I think she'll wait till spring too.

The #1 sign I noticed when they close to laying was the noise. Every single one got louder and chattier right before they laid their first egg.

 

[Rebechenson75]

Possibly! I went crazy earlier this year waiting for my eggs. Thought I'd get them around 18 weeks old. Yeah, right! More like 28 weeks. I still have one that's 8 months old that doesn't even look close to laying. She still has a pale pink comb and chirps like a chick. I think she'll wait till spring too.

The #1 sign I noticed when they close to laying was the noise. Every single one got louder and chattier right before they laid their first egg.

You'd almost swear mine are mutes. Don't put up much of a fuss except when my cockerel Sesame scolds them.

 

[WingItRanch]

You'd almost swear mine are mutes. Don't put up much of a fuss except when my cockerel Sesame scolds them.

Oh that's too funny. My pullets are way louder than my cockerel. He only crows in the morning and few times and is generally quiet. The girls are so loud! Constantly yapping to each other.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

You'd almost swear mine are mutes. Don't put up much of a fuss except when my cockerel Sesame scolds them.

You have quiet Wyandottes?? I didn't think that was a thing, lol. Mine never shut up. Their noise is so distinct, even my half Wynadotte mixes make the noise.

I've found that pullets that mature in the fall/winter tend to lay later than my spring babies. In the spring my babies lay right around the 20 week/4 month mark. But later season babies seem to lay closer to 6 months.

The trade-off is that later laying pullets tend to start right off with larger eggs. I have a very petite little EE girl who just started laying at 6 months and all of her eggs so far (maybe 5 or 6?) have been over 50 grams!

 

[WingItRanch]

You have quiet Wyandottes?? I didn't think that was a thing, lol. Mine never shut up. Their noise is so distinct, even my half Wynadotte mixes make the noise.

I've found that pullets that mature in the fall/winter tend to lay later than my spring babies. In the spring my babies lay right around the 20 week/4 month mark. But later season babies seem to lay closer to 6 months.

The trade-off is that later laying pullets tend to start right off with larger eggs. I have a very petite little EE girl who just started laying at 6 months and all of her eggs so far (maybe 5 or 6?) have been over 50 grams!

Isn't it crazy how big the eggs are in some of these little pullets?! My Ancona is by far my smallest and her eggs are consistently 54-59g. I look at how small she is and just wonder if it hurts.