what clues are there to know when a chicken is going to start laying eggs

[CorsetsnChicks]

My silky was laying for a month. She went broody. After 3 weeks on a golfball,she is now socializing with the other 3 silkys. When will she start laying again?

 

[moms3cuties]

My silky was laying for a month. She went broody. After 3 weeks on a golfball,she is now socializing with the other 3 silkys. When will she start laying again?

In my own personal experience with my Easter Egger is that once a stop being Broody it was about a week and a half before her name is Marshmallow started laying eggs again with the rest of the hens!

 

[moms3cuties]

Usually hens will start laying not earlier  than 18 weeks. 21 to 24 weeks is about average.

 

[moms3cuties]

When my chicken first started squatting, I could not quite fit two fingers between her pelvic bones. A couple days later, I could fit two fingers.

Two days before she laid, I could fit 3 fingers between her pelvic bones.

do you do that measurement right about where her vent is or do you do that? I have a black Australorp and she is 24 weeks or 25 weeks today and so she should be laying anytime including one barred rock.one interesting thing I noticed is that my black Australorp she's switches her tail when she fluffs herself up...... is this also a sign?

 

[subhanalah]

do you do that measurement right about where her vent is or do you do that? I have a black Australorp and she is 24 weeks or 25 weeks today and so she should be laying anytime including one barred rock.one interesting thing I noticed is that my black Australorp she's switches her tail when she fluffs herself up...... is this also a sign?

I don't know if that's a sign, I've never really paid attention.

Another sign they are getting ready to lay is when they go in the nest box and put bedding on their backs.

 

[Krissilpn]

How do us newbies survive the wait? My girls are doing great, happy and healthy and spoilt wrotten. I got 3 of them as chicks this spring (2 Road island reds 1 Dominique) the third RR turned out to be a roo who hasn't started crowing yet but he gets a new home soon. I have one anericana and one
Blue Moran that I traded my friends for my Dominique roo who was part of my origional 5 chicks ( who started crowing early). I have my spatula and wisk at the ready! The ssuspense is killing me. Though I am worried I will get some pretty eggs I won't wanna crack.

 

[TeaChick]

My silky was laying for a month. She went broody. After 3 weeks on a golfball,she is now socializing with the other 3 silkys. When will she start laying again?

My Cochin Bantam went broody back in April; she had a "bad" broody molt (I don't think there's really a "good" broody molt, but I just mean that she looked ugly and bare for a while)...
I think her broody molt coincided with her annual molt (she was just about a year when she was done brooding), so her molt lasted about six weeks (give or take) and she just started laying again last weekend. (End of April until mid June)
Since yours is less than a year (I assume we're talking about a pullet who was hatched this year), her broody molt might not be dragged out by an annual molt. Hopefully, someone has some experience with a situation more similar to yours.
All the best to you. =)

I don't know if that's a sign, I've never really paid attention.

Another sign they are getting ready to lay is when they go in the nest box and put bedding on their backs.

Snoodle did this for at least the first week she was laying (I didn't watch her after that).

 

[subhanalah]

I don't know if that's a sign, I've never really paid attention.

Another sign they are getting ready to lay is when they go in the nest box and put bedding on their backs.

My Cochin Bantam went broody back in April; she had a "bad" broody molt (I don't think there's really a "good" broody molt, but I just mean that she looked ugly and bare for a while)...
I think her broody molt coincided with her annual molt (she was just about a year when she was done brooding), so her molt lasted about six weeks (give or take) and she just started laying again last weekend.  (End of April until mid June)
Since yours is less than a year (I assume we're talking about a pullet who was hatched this year), her broody molt might not be dragged out by an annual molt.  Hopefully, someone has some experience with a situation more similar to yours.
All the best to you. =)



Snoodle did this for at least the first week she was laying (I didn't watch her after that).

My chicken laid 30 minutes after I posted this (she was doing it for the first time I saw when I posted it) lol

 

[The Mother Hen]

If your hen is squatting close the ground with her wings slightly extended near the shoulders( when you walk up to her), this can be a sign of maturing. Hens will start to squat when they are getting close to lay eggs because it is how the male is able to mate with the hen and produce chicks. If she sits a lot in one area (for an hour or two during the day or evening) then it is most likely she is getting ready to lay as well. The first eggs will be small but over time they will get a little larger because the hen will grow up. Of course, depending on the breed the eggs will come in different sizes.

 

[docrobin]

Today Millie (23 weeks 5 days) was very annoyed when I began to clean the coop. She kept coming in and squawking at me. As soon as I finished (only about 20 minutes) she went in and started scratching, which she did for about an hour. I remembered I had an alabaster egg so I put it into the box with her. 10 minutes later we heard a lot of loud squawking which alarmed the two other chickens and the dogs. I went to look, but there was nothing. About fifteen minutes later Millie was outside wandering nonchalantly with her sisters. Inside the nesting box was a beautiful blue egg lying next to the alabaster egg! Our first. I felt so proud of her. I was very reluctant to eat it - it took several hours before I could do it. Perhaps that's the problem with naming your chickens. I felt sort of cannibalistic. But it was delicious.