What does point of lay look like exactly?

[superchemicalgirl]

My chickens are 14 weeks old today. I have a wide variety of hatchery breeds. I know some of them may start laying in the next few weeks... or not. But I have a few questions about this whole point-of-lay thing.

1. When exactly do female combs/wattles start getting red and big? How far before laying an egg? I have not heard "the egg song" or seen any type of squatting activity but a few of my girls are getting pretty red in the face and 2 have developed combs/wattles far above when compared to the others.

2. At this point (as it's still really early to lay) could some of these "hens" be roosters? This chicken sexing business is pretty difficult - one of my girls has just as big wattles as my known rooster (who has rooster feathering and is crowing) - could she be a he this late in the game? Or just getting ready to lay early?

And of course, pictures:
The she/he or soon to be layer:

And my hideous rooster (same age) for wattle comparison:

Thanks for any help.

 

[buzymom13]

Hi! You're barred rock is a pullet. Mine is 17 wks and looks just like her.

The reddening and comb and wattle enlargement (to my newbie understanding) is what is telling you that they will lay soon...

Again I'm new but that's what I've "learned" so far...

Good Luck!

PS Barred rock roos are more white with black then what you have there... Learned that too...

 

[Mrs. K]

Red combs, yellow legs, and egg squat. Those are the signs that you are getting close. MrsK

 

[Tiss]

My Barred Rock pullet's face started getting really red about 2 weeks before she started to lay, if that helps you at all. She just started this week at 19 weeks.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

So this is point of lay (ish?) and not late roosterism? Can a barred rock really lay as early as 15ish weeks?

So many dumb questions from me, sorry.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

This is one of my RIR pullets at point of lay. She started squating a few days after the picture, and her first egg was laid 2 weeks after that on week 21.

 

[Tiss]

BR roos are usually more white than black. The color of your bird alone leads me to believe she's a pullet. I've heard of BR laying as early as 16 weeks. Your girl looks a couple weeks away yet to me. You'll notice she'll start to get a lot broader through the breast over the next couple of weeks. I tell my BR's that they have cankles.

She doesn't look that red here, probably because she was napping and not chasing the littler birds around. This was taken a week before she started laying.