which ones not laying?

[clucker49]

so I have 4 girls that should be laying and they look identical.not sure that they all are laying so whats the best way to find out?

 

[drumstick diva]

Well I've heard of a rather odd way to tell, some people use different colored lipstick, on each hen's "egg exit point: some of the color will come off on the egg and then you will know which hen did what. Of course, you discard the lipstick after that

Let us know if it works for you.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Do they both lay in the same spot? If not then you can find out which one is laying by where she lays. Otherwise you may need to put them in a little confined area until one of them lays.

Good luck and glad you joined!

 

[sunflour]

Well I've heard of a rather odd way to tell, some people use different colored lipstick, on each hen's "egg exit point: some of the color will come off on the egg and then you will know which hen did what. Of course, you discard the lipstick after that

Let us know if it works for you.

Lipstick

Cannot imagine lipsticking a vent! Of course there is a lip balm " Chicken Poop" but it is colorless. When I see it at store check out displays, I always wonder what the main ingredient is?

 

[sunflour]

Not being sarcastic, really.

But when you find 4 you will be sure.

Each chicken usually lays a same shape egg. Photo those you are collecting and you'll start to see a pattern. I have 6 gals, and can tell who laid them by size and shape, Had hen cam in coop and mine have enough different characteristics I can tell them apart..so knew who laid when. But which egg from who took examining the eggs.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Sometimes it is hard to figure out at first unless you try the lipstick thing. But after they get their egg laying machines in gear, each hen will lay a different tone and shaped egg. Go hang out with them in the mornings to see who might be going into the nest boxes. But the lipstick idea is probably the best bet.

Good luck figuring this out and welcome to our flock!

 

[liz9910]

I chose 4 different breeds to be my laying hens, they all have different colored eggs. You could try that

@drumstick diva you crack me up! Love your posts btw.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. I've never done it that way, but I suppose you can try drumstick diva's suggestion. ) Let us know if it works. The only infallible way I know to determine which hen is laying and which egg is being laid by which hen is either catching them in the act or using a nest trap. If you are not familiar with nest traps, you can see one at https://www.strombergschickens.com/product/Chicken-Nest-Trap/nests-and-accessories. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in figuring out who is laying.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! You've gotten some good suggestions above on figuring out who is laying, here is a nice article on evaluating hens also http://afspoultry.ca.uky.edu/files/pubs/Evaluating_egg_laying_hens.pdf

 

[LIChickens]

Welcome to BYC!

You will find a lot of good information here. Keep on asking questions and you will get many good answers.

You may also want to read the FAQ below.