Who is laying eggs???

[OzarkChooks]

I have 8 20 week old pullets. We have been finding a tiny egg in the nesting box every day, sometimes two.
There is an Australorp, salmon faverolle (who squats and spreads her wings and is insanely loud), two buff orpingtons, 3 green queens and a blue splash maran. I know it shouldn't matter but I am dying to know which one is laying. Any ideas???

 

[sourland]

Check the space between their pelvic bones. 1 finger = not laying. 2 fingers = possibly laying. 3 fingers = laying for sure. I'm betting on the Australorp.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I have 8 20 week old pullets. We have been finding a tiny egg in the nesting box every day, sometimes two.
There is an Australorp, salmon faverolle (who squats and spreads her wings and is insanely loud), two buff orpingtons, 3 green queens and a blue splash maran. I know it shouldn't matter but I am dying to know which one is laying. Any ideas???

What color is the egg?

 

[OzarkChooks]

It's a brown egg. Small. I was filling up their coop's water this afternoon and noticed one of my green queens was in the nesting box, squawking really loudly. Don't know if it is her though.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am new to chickens and have a Silkie hen that is ~16 weeks old. Thursday (2 days ago) she laid a teeny tiny (half the size of a regular) egg, on my hay pile of all places. I was freaked out to see her laying there on the hay pile not moving and sort of panting. She then finally laid an egg and proceeded at that point to throw hay on her back - pick up a piece of hay throw it over onto her back, both sides - left then right.

Soon after she jumped off the hay pile and started giving what I have come to recognize as an 'Emergency Alert' call (sort of like bwak bwak bwak bwak BBWWAAKK). She then stopped and went on her merry way.

Yesterday I told her she had to lay her egg in the nest box and this went fairly uneventfully. Both days she laid her eggs around 11am.

Today she didn't pop an egg at 11am and didn't look like she would do so; then around lunch time she started getting restless and squawking/grumbling, holding her wings out, panting and pacing up and down. At one point she went into the nest box, lay down and was quiet but then got up and came out.

Now 3 hours later its quiet and I am suspicious when they are all quiet - like kids you know! So I go hunt her down and there she is up on my hay pile in a corner spot all quiet like wanting to lay an egg. I am afraid to move her as she just seems a bit more 'content' - but I really don't want her to be laying eggs on the hay and around the barn.

Any suggestions? And hey is this panting, squawking, wings held out behaviour normal? its a bit hot and humid today but no one else is panting.... ?

 

[Ponypoor]

UPDATE:

My Silkie hen just popped out another egg, she is still holding her wings out from her sides, and panting at times, but she went out side in the light rain, and drank water. Now she is eating from the feeder.

This third egg is a bit bigger than the first two. Wonder if this is just her body reacting to hormonal changes - ?

Have to say this having chickens is very stressful!!

 

[Swbertrand1]

I am new to chickens and have a Silkie hen that is ~16 weeks old. Thursday (2 days ago) she laid a teeny tiny (half the size of a regular) egg, on my hay pile of all places. I was freaked out to see her laying there on the hay pile not moving and sort of panting. She then finally laid an egg and proceeded at that point to throw hay on her back - pick up a piece of hay throw it over onto her back, both sides - left then right.

Soon after she jumped off the hay pile and started giving what I have come to recognize as an 'Emergency Alert' call (sort of like bwak bwak bwak bwak BBWWAAKK). She then stopped and went on her merry way.

Any suggestions? And hey is this panting, squawking, wings held out behaviour normal? its a bit hot and humid today but no one else is panting.... ?

It's not an "emergency alert". It's an announcement and celebration of laying the egg. Our hens do it all the time. They're proud of their egg-laying! The first eggs from many hens are small and odd - completely normal.
The panting is likely because she's hot. What's the temperature where you're located?

This third egg is a bit bigger than the first two. Wonder if this is just her body reacting to hormonal changes - ?

Have to say this having chickens is very stressful!!

Perfectly normal behavior on all accounts. She's just a young pullet growing up. Chickens have been doing this for thousands of years, and she'll be fine.

 

[Ponypoor]

It's not an "emergency alert". It's an announcement and celebration of laying the egg. Our hens do it all the time. They're proud of their egg-laying! The first eggs from many hens are small and odd - completely normal.
The panting is likely because she's hot. What's the temperature where you're located?


Perfectly normal behavior on all accounts. She's just a young pullet growing up. Chickens have been doing this for thousands of years, and she'll be fine.

I am in S. Ontario and it's generally hot and humid (23C with a humidex of 29C). We just had rain so cooler, I see she is outside now looking more normal, is it normal for them to pant and get stressed looking she did this yesterday before she laid her second egg but not for so long. Also I wanted to move her to the nest box but was hesitant to move her and upset her if she was over heated. I don't mind hunting for eggs for a bit until she gets into the groove of things, but would rather she laid them in the nest box.

Re: Squawking: I heard this squawking noise from my rooster when a fox got him and his side-kick a few weeks ago, he had made the noise a couple nights prior to his demise and I ran to see what was up, he was all at attention looking about. I couldn't see anything but it was definitely not a happy noise. Then when I heard it the second time I went to see and a fox had him, the other Rooster I found dead in my front paddock.

This little hen made that same noise the first time she laid an egg and I went to go look at it. I figured she was upset with me.

I have heard the 'egg song' where hens sing when they lay their eggs, many years ago a friend had hens and I was privy to that sing-song

 

[Swbertrand1]

I am in S. Ontario and it's generally hot and humid (23C with a humidex of 29C). We just had rain so cooler, I see she is outside now looking more normal, is it normal for them to pant and get stressed looking she did this yesterday before she laid her second egg but not for so long. Also I wanted to move her to the nest box but was hesitant to move her and upset her if she was over heated. I don't mind hunting for eggs for a bit until she gets into the groove of things, but would rather she laid them in the nest box.

Re: Squawking: I heard this squawking noise from my rooster when a fox got him and his side-kick a few weeks ago, he had made the noise a couple nights prior to his demise and I ran to see what was up, he was all at attention looking about. I couldn't see anything but it was definitely not a happy noise. Then when I heard it the second time I went to see and a fox had him, the other Rooster I found dead in my front paddock.

This little hen made that same noise the first time she laid an egg and I went to go look at it. I figured she was upset with me.

I have heard the 'egg song' where hens sing when they lay their eggs, many years ago a friend had hens and I was privy to that sing-song

I don't think heat is an issue then. I believe your little girl is fine. She's going through some "growing-up" changes, and they're perfectly normal.

One of our Silkie hens was baffled when she laid her first egg. She rolled it around, looked at it, kinda half pecked at it, then just stared at it for about 10 minutes, finally walking away from it. It was hilarious, and we snapped some photos of her doing that.

If you're somewhat new to chickens, realize that they will mimic things that they hear from time to time. Do they always utter what they've heard at the correct time? No; they make mistakes. I think your young pullet is announcing her egg laying and it sounds similar to an alert. She'll figure it out and get it right eventually. It's worth noting, too, that some hens can be quite loud when announcing their egg-laying. Again, it's not cause for concern. They know what they're doing out there.....

 

[Ponypoor]

I don't think heat is an issue then. I believe your little girl is fine. She's going through some "growing-up" changes, and they're perfectly normal.

One of our Silkie hens was baffled when she laid her first egg. She rolled it around, looked at it, kinda half pecked at it, then just stared at it for about 10 minutes, finally walking away from it. It was hilarious, and we snapped some photos of her doing that.

If you're somewhat new to chickens, realize that they will mimic things that they hear from time to time. Do they always utter what they've heard at the correct time? No; they make mistakes. I think your young pullet is announcing her egg laying and it sounds similar to an alert. She'll figure it out and get it right eventually. It's worth noting, too, that some hens can be quite loud when announcing their egg-laying. Again, it's not cause for concern. They know what they're doing out there.....

And now Henny-Penny is back to normal it looks like. I didn't think that Silkies would lay every day. I guess I can expect the other two to start laying soon in this case if they are hens - ? My two roosters started crowing at about 16 weeks so stands to reason 16 weeks seems to be the magic number here.

Thanks for the info, what I need here is an older broodie hen to show them the ropes! It sure doesn't help that my office is here in the barn so I see everything that happens both cluck wise and horse wise.... it's a wonder I get any work done these days!