Squatting?

[little chick-y baby mama]

How early do serama hens start to squat when you pet them before laying? She's been doing it for a week so far and she's almost 16 weeks old. How long until she lays?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Common to pullets of all breeds. Just like roosters tend to practice their crowing before they can successfully do the deed, young pullets start exhibiting squatting behaviors - even with no rooster in the flock - in the weeks preceding onset of lay. "How many weeks before?" is not something I've seen studied, but my anecdotal impressions from my own small flock and limited experience is "a few to several".

 

[TooCheep]

In my experience with various breeds (not Serama): usually 2 weeks, but up to 4.

 

[Kdlevesque]

All of my girls started doing the squat about a week to two weeks before they started laying so it won’t be long!