Who’s laying the egg?

[embatten]

hi, so I have a couple of 19 week old hands that have started laying eggs. I’m getting about three a day from my girls. I have a total of 13 chickens and they are doing so amazing laying them in the boxes and everything but I have a big question…. I’ve seen where a lot of people will post about their chickens and their eggs and whose lays what and my question is how in the world do y’all know which chickens lay the eggs? I have tried to watch them, but they always wait till I’m not watching when they lay the egg I have an idea of at least one of the chickens that I’m pretty sure is laying one egg but the other ones I have no idea. Plus, I’m not sure which ones are laying which color I get two beige ones and one brown one (btw the picture doesn’t do it justice it like a maple syrup brown) every day so far, and I’m just trying to figure out because I have multiple breeds and wanted to know how y’all figure out which chickens are laying eggs just for my own curiosity

 

[nuthatched]

Most people don't know, unless you see the eggs laid.

 

[DemeterAD9]

For a long while I stalked my birds and waited for each one to lay. I have 16 layers and I know who lays what for the most part. Sometimes one bird will have an extra heavy bloom or more speckles than usual and it will throw me off but I can guess based off of the shape and where it was laid, plus the process of elimination. It helps to have different breeds who lay all colors and sizes.

Of course I wouldn't really care about who is laying what so long as they are in fact laying, but I like to know for when I gather eggs to hatch as I am going for certain traits.

I'll have to play the "who laid what" game again in a few more weeks. I've got about 25 young pullets to sort through before deciding who stays and who goes. Hoping to have at least a few new colored layers, any brown layers who aren't being set aside for my meat bird and feather pattern projects will be going.

 

[C Siena]

I'm retired so when they began to lay, I would check often. I made a note of who was in the nest boxes, then went out an hour later, if another hen was in the box, I would go under her for the egg from the previous hen.

I haven't done that in almost a year but have about 13 young pullets who should be laying by the end of August and I'll be watching, making notes and taking pictures again.

 

[embatten]

For a long while I stalked my birds and waited for each one to lay. I have 16 layers and I know who lays what for the most part. Sometimes one bird will have an extra heavy bloom or more speckles than usual and it will throw me off but I can guess based off of the shape and where it was laid, plus the process of elimination. It helps to have different breeds who lay all colors and sizes.

Of course I wouldn't really care about who is laying what so long as they are in fact laying, but I like to know for when I gather eggs to hatch as I am going for certain traits.

I'll have to play the "who laid what" game again in a few more weeks. I've got about 25 young pullets to sort through before deciding who stays and who goes. Hoping to have at least a few new colored layers, any brown layers who aren't being set aside for my meat bird and feather pattern projects will be going.

so just observation? do they usually lay at a certain time for you to watch them? i ask because mine seem to lay at different times sometimes really early in the morning sometimes around noon and sometimes late afternoon. is that just a new layer thing?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Put in a camera

 

[embatten]

I'm retired so when they began to lay, I would check often. I made a note of who was in the nest boxes, then went out an hour later, if another hen was in the box, I would go under her for the egg from the previous hen.

I haven't done that in almost a year but have about 13 young pullets who should be laying by the end of August and I'll be watching, making notes and taking pictures again.

okay good idea with the note taking! i like that! i know them all by name so that is a good idea

 

[C Siena]

okay good idea with the note taking! i like that! i know them all by name so that is a good idea

You can also write on them, I did with a pencil. I put H for Hazel, J - Juanita, TL - Thelma Lou etc. Then I took a picture showing the initials/name for future reference. Knowing who lays what egg is handy when one wants to incubate.

 

[DemeterAD9]

so just observation? do they usually lay at a certain time for you to watch them? i ask because mine seem to lay at different times sometimes really early in the morning sometimes around noon and sometimes late afternoon. is that just a new layer thing?

New layers will have a wonky schedule where they lay whenever during the day, mine tend to mostly lay around 11-2 with some earlier or later. I would just check them several times a day and see who is sitting where then come back later to see if they laid an egg yet.

Some people use lipstick or food coloring and put it on the vent of the bird in questions so when she lays an egg it will have streaks of color on it. I'm not so invested to feel the need to do that yet.

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

how in the world do y’all know which chickens lay the eggs?

If the chickens and/or the eggs look too similar, it'll be difficult to tell

My pullets, and their eggs, all look different enough that I can tell them apart from each other (eventually)

What I did is watch...a lot.
I'd take a picture of who was in what nest, and leave for a while.
Then, I'd take a picture of the eggs left in the nests. And then the eggs out of the nest (better lighting)

If a specific egg keeps matching up with a pullet that I know was in there earlier, and not with anybody else, I can be sure that's hers.

I've had to use process of elimination a couple times.