Who is laying?

[WallyG74]

Or wash your hands...either way

Do you feel under the vent or actually put your fingers in the vent? I’ve only done that once and that was to hopefully save my chicken’s life. It didn’t work but that’s another story.

 

[ILoveChickensAWholeLot]

How do you check their vent? Do you actually stick your fingers in there or just on the outside? also, is their vent just by their butt? (Sorry I'm new at this )

 

[SnootyHen]

Now I can tell based on the color alone (although 2 of them lay a really similar egg and now and again one comes out funny and throws me off). When they first started, it was looks and behavior as well as color. Definitely not weird to know who laid what.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Those pelvic bones are not that close to the vent. You should be able to feel the width without getting your hand dirty. Hold the chicken across your body. Put the palm of your hand under the chicken's belly and reach upward toward the tail. The bones are a good inch or two south of the vent.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How do you check their vent? Do you actually stick your fingers in there or just on the outside? also, is their vent just by their butt? (Sorry I'm new at this )

No, you can feel from the outside of the bird.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No, you can feel from the outside of the bird.

And the vent is the opening under the tail out of which everything comes. Egg, poo, urates (chickens don't urinate exactly). They only have one multi-purpose opening. Very efficient!

 

[RojoMarz]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/

 

[cherrynberry]

No, you can feel from the outside of the bird.

Yeah, there two bones near the vent, but not that close to it