The squat..How long before eggs?

[DLS]

when mine SQUAT, I grab there neck & shake it kind of light, then I rub her back kind of hard Then shake her tail up & down. The whole flock circles around for a little lovin, I do every one & some come back for seconds .They wander off & SHAKE the deed off, They are verry contented hens .... But I must rest now...

 

[cmom]

another way to tell when they are ready to start laying, is when their combs and wattles start turning bright red.

 

[HpyNDxie]

Another question from a newbie....

Are there certain times of the year they don't lay?

 

[bangor777]

What do you guys mean when you say the hens 'squat'? My hens are 17 weeks old now, looking for any signs they might be ready to lay. I guess I just don't know what you mean by squatting!

 

[Lunachick]

Squat: when they lower down alittle and stop in their tracks and spread their wings out a little bit. Good sign for eggs soon.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
You'll know it when you see it. It's distinctive. Especially when it was evoked by your reaching down to pet or pick up the chicken, and she squats for you. "Oh," you will think, "THAT's weird." REally

Pat

 

[flakey chick]

Quote:
Hens tend to slack off when there is less daylight. Some people add light in the winter to increase production. They also stop laying when they go broody or molt.

 

[krjwaj]

Well she squatted for about 3 days and this afternoon laid an egg! Her first and the only one we have had in about a month!!

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for the poo, I did notice some bigs ones coming from our 9 weekers....​

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Quote:
When they're moulting and if they aren't getting enough sunlight in the winter, hens don't usually lay. That's why a lot of people put lights in their coops for in the winter.

 

[cmom]

Quote:
Usually they slow down or stop for awhile, while they're molting. The first molt is when they are around a year old, then yearly.