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

[missnu01]

About the blood on the egg. Totally normal in a new layer

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Penny laid her second egg early this morning and it had a little blood on it. I've read this is normal for a new egg layer. Has anybody had this happen? She seems perfectly fine and there's no blood on her.

Janet's doing awesome. 5 eggs in her first 8 days of laying. She always lays in the hottest time of the day. For her sake, I wish she'd lay in the morning.

The blood is normal - the blood vessels that the egg passes by on it's way out are being disturbed and things have not yet had a chance to "toughen up" in there so to speak so it is easy for there to be some bleeding happen for the first bit of a hen's laying life. The mechanics of that last inch or so of egg expulsion are pretty fascinating and it makes sense for there to be some bleeding and what not as it first gets working -- this is an excellent illustration/explanation that gives a pretty good idea of just how easily bleeding can occur http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm

 

[LauraSac]

The blood is normal - the blood vessels that the egg passes by on it's way out are being disturbed and things have not yet had a chance to "toughen up" in there so to speak so it is easy for there to be some bleeding happen for the first bit of a hen's laying life. The mechanics of that last inch or so of egg expulsion are pretty fascinating and it makes sense for there to be some bleeding and what not as it first gets working -- this is an excellent illustration/explanation that gives a pretty good idea of just how easily bleeding can occur http://www.afn.org/~poultry/egghen.htm

Thanks! That was fascinating. Not that I was, but I will never take for granted what they go through to lay an egg. Janet is only laying in the afternoon and is on an every other day schedule, except for once when she went two days without laying.

They're RIRs so they should lay more than every other day eventually, but according to what you linked to, it says when it gets too late, they take the next day off. She's laying at like 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, so she has to take a day off. They don't free range unless I'm home, so it's not until early evening that they're out of the run (except for weekends). I can't leave her in the coop until she lays because it's hot. She's only been laying a week and a half so I assume her timing will work itself out. Is there anything I need to do to help her with her timing?

 

[subhanalah]

Thanks! That was fascinating. Not that I was, but I will never take for granted what they go through to lay an egg. Janet is only laying in the afternoon and is on an every other day schedule, except for once when she went two days without laying.

They're RIRs so they should lay more than every other day eventually, but according to what you linked to, it says when it gets too late, they take the next day off. She's laying at like 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, so she has to take a day off. They don't free range unless I'm home, so it's not until early evening that they're out of the run (except for weekends). I can't leave her in the coop until she lays because it's hot. She's only been laying a week and a half so I assume her timing will work itself out. Is there anything I need to do to help her with her timing?

Have they been exposed to ground outside? Have you ever wormed them? Is it summer where you are right now?

 

[LauraSac]

Have they been exposed to ground outside? Have you ever wormed them? Is it summer where you are right now?

Yes, they're exposed to the ground in their run and when they free range. I haven't dewormed them yet, I've only had them since spring. I thought it would be part of my Fall and Spring rituals, though I want to do more research. It is summer here, but I live in California, so it will be rare that they're not outside. We've had some nasty rain storms and the run doesn't get wet (it's covered, though it has a hardware cloth "sun roof" which I can cover when it's raining or too hot), and though we do get below freezing overnight in the winter, it usually warms up to the high 50's to low 60's during the day. It will be rare that it's too cold outside during the day. Other than the first week I got them when they were being coop trained, the only time they're in the coop is at night when they're roosting or when they go up to the nesting box to lay.

One of my dogs fecal sample got tested just last week, and he's clean. It doesn't mean the girls don't have worms, but they do share the yard.

 

[subhanalah]

Could you have a fecal flotation test done on the bird poo?

 

[missnu01]

I've never wormed my birds, and some are 3 years old. Not going to worm them unless there is some indication they actually need it

 

[LauraSac]

Could you have a fecal flotation test done on the bird poo?

Probably. My vet doesn't do birds, but I don't know why I couldn't bring in a fecal sample. Janet laid another egg today, though, as did Penny so that was back-to-back for both. I suspect my boyfriend was late checking eggs yesterday afternoon and guessed that she laid later, or else she wouldn't have been able to lay two days in a row.

 

[LauraSac]

Let my worry be a lesson to you. First, I was worried about them laying in the first place. Then about blood, then about regularity. Well, my two girls who are both new layers (13 days for Janet, I believe 8 days for Penny) have laid eggs three days straight. And yesterday and today, both in the morning, giving us the nice picture below. Penny is definitely the early bird, but since I was home, I was able to see when Janet laid and she went into the nesting box about 10:00 and came down about 10:30.

Janet is the older, bigger girl, but her eggs are smaller (on the left. The white eggs are wooden). Janet's eggs are also darker. I've been told that you can tell the difference between the eggs of your different hens. I don't know if that will always be the case, but it certainly is so far. I hope it stays that way, so I can track them.

 

[CalebKrohn23]

At what age should I put a fake egg in the nests?