Who is laying and who isn’t? How to tell?

[BamburghFarms]

How do you tell which hens are laying and which ones are not, without a body examination of the hens in question, because this new poultry Momma isn’t inspecting anyone’s “vent” unless not doing so would result in death!!! Lol

 

[PachecoPeeps]

Check comb and waddle color. Bright red means laying, pale means not.

If they are squatting they are getting ready to lay or are laying.

Are they scratching around in the nest boxes during the day and practicing in them? That’s another sign.

You can also check how wide their pelvic bones are. There is a great article on this site about how to do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Lastly I have never done this but I’ve heard of people putting food dye on the girls vents so that they could ID who is laying based on the dye color left on the egg.

Hope this helps!

 

[BamburghFarms]

Check comb and waddle color. Bright red means laying, pale means not.

If they are squatting they are getting ready to lay or are laying.

Are they scratching around in the nest boxes during the day and practicing in them? That’s another sign.

You can also check how wide their pelvic bones are. There is a great article on this site about how to do it. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

Lastly I have never done this but I’ve heard of people putting food dye on the girls vents so that they could ID who is laying based on the dye color left on the egg.

Hope this helps!

This is excellent info!! Thank you so much!!!

 

[aart]

How do you tell which hens are laying and which ones are not, without a body examination of the hens in question, because this new poultry Momma isn’t inspecting anyone’s “vent” unless not doing so would result in death!!! Lol

Well, it's the only way to tell for sure if a bird is laying or not.
If you're not willing to fully examine your birds, then it might be best to not keep poultry.
'Mommas' and 'farmers' are always willing to deal with the less pleasant aspects of their charges. Here's where the Romance meets the Reality.

 

[Stewartws41]

I have 4 Laying boxes and I have 4 hens but I have all different color and sizes eggs in same box but I never see a hen setting on the eggs what do I do

 

[aart]

I have 4 Laying boxes and I have 4 hens but I have all different color and sizes eggs in same box but I never see a hen setting on the eggs what do I do

Looks like you already got some answers here....
...click this link https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-wont-set.1263760/
Maybe you had trouble finding the thread again?