Who's started laying and is she going broody?

[Meg22]

We have 4 light Sussex pullets, 2 28 weeks and 2 19 weeks old. We got our first egg back on 2 September. After that we got 7 more eggs over 8 days. At the time we thought that it was Martha laying them. She was the first to go red in the comb and first to squat for us. We then had 5 days with no eggs before starting back up with an egg almost every day. I haven't seen Martha in the nest boxes in ages. I did the bottom check and Martha's vent is much smaller than Rainbow's and her bones are slightly closer too. Is it possible that Martha layed the first 8 eggs and then stopped?
Martha is our head hen. We did have 4 cockerals same age as the younger pullets until a week ago. They were trying to chalange her for head of flock and trying to convince her to mate with them but she would put them in their place with a stare.

I am also concerned that Rainbow is thinking about going broody. She is spending longer and longer in the nest box when she lays her egg and really snuggling down. I have taken out the fake eggs today. Is there anything else I can do to discourage her?

 

[azygous]

Pullets coming into lay in the northern hemisphere right now are bucking shorter days going into fall. I have four, myself, teetering on the brink of whether to start to lay now or wait until after January when the days will get longer. The suspense is a killer.

So you have that as a factor that is indisputable. Other factors may be in play that we can only guess about. These would include local environmental conditions such as proximity to stresses such as noise, predators, vermin, etc, that can affect laying.

Another factor is diet. Laying hens require a balanced diet. If they aren't getting the full compliment of vitamins, such as vitamin A and K3, and enough calcium, it can affect whether or not they will lay. Usually, a good commercial feed takes care of that factor.

On the list of factors affecting laying is bacteria and viruses that affect the immune system. We're getting into the weeds now, but these are factors to consider if you rule out the other ones.

Checking the pelvic points is always a good thing to check if you wish to know if an individual pullet it ready to lay or is currently laying. An egg isn't going to pass through a channel that's too narrow. The two-finger rule usually is a good indicator. My four pullets are about one and a half fingers, and I am more or less resigned to POL having to wait until the sun starts heading back this way after winter solstice.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Pullets coming into lay in the northern hemisphere right now are bucking shorter days going into fall. I have four, myself, teetering on the brink of whether to start to lay now or wait until after January when the days will get longer. The suspense is a killer.

So you have that as a factor that is indisputable. Other factors may be in play that we can only guess about. These would include local environmental conditions such as proximity to stresses such as noise, predators, vermin, etc, that can affect laying.

Another factor is diet. Laying hens require a balanced diet. If they aren't getting the full compliment of vitamins, such as vitamin A and K3, and enough calcium, it can affect whether or not they will lay. Usually, a good commercial feed takes care of that factor.

On the list of factors affecting laying is bacteria and viruses that affect the immune system. We're getting into the weeds now, but these are factors to consider if you rule out the other ones.

Checking the pelvic points is always a good thing to check if you wish to know if an individual pullet it ready to lay or is currently laying. An egg isn't going to pass through a channel that's too narrow. The two-finger rule usually is a good indicator. My four pullets are about one and a half fingers, and I am more or less resigned to POL having to wait until the sun starts heading back this way after winter solstice.

I don’t want to highjack the thread but I have a 6 month EE that has been laying 2 eggs a week for about a month, but nothing now for 2 weeks. Seemed a bit sudden and all others (diff breed) are laying. The feed I use is all flock. oyster shell on the side. Free range but now there is 6-8 inches of snow, behavior is typical perky, quirky self. I’m thinking its just less daylight hours; It’s around 10.5 hrs now.
For winter, do chickens just suddenly stop releasing mature yokes? And, if so, do they need the extra calcium in winter?
thx- sorry to OP. still relevant to topic anyway

 

[azygous]

I don’t want to highjack the thread but I have a 6 month EE that has been laying 2 eggs a week for about a month, but nothing now for 2 weeks. Seemed a bit sudden and all others (diff breed) are laying. The feed I use is all flock. oyster shell on the side. Free range but now there is 6-8 inches of snow, behavior is typical perky, quirky self. I’m thinking its just less daylight hours; It’s around 10.5 hrs now.
For winter, do chickens just suddenly stop releasing mature yokes? And, if so, do they need the extra calcium in winter?
thx- sorry to OP. still relevant to topic anyway

The short days probably, as in gambling odds, are affecting the laying of your EE. The pineal gland reacts to the length of the days and is responsible for triggering laying hormones which trigger ovulation (release of a yolk each cycle). The advantage of feeding all-flock feed, as you are doing, and making oyster shell available on demand will assure your hen is getting only the amount of calcium she needs and not too much. You are correct in thinking too much calcium may not be wise for a hen that isn't currently laying.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

The short days probably, as in gambling odds, are affecting the laying of your EE. The pineal gland reacts to the length of the days and is responsible for triggering laying hormones which trigger ovulation (release of a yolk each cycle). The advantage of feeding all-flock feed, as you are doing, and making oyster shell available on demand will assure your hen is getting only the amount of calcium she needs and not too much. You are correct in thinking too much calcium may not be wise for a hen that isn't currently laying.

Seems logical. Thank you so much.

 

[Meg22]

Pullets coming into lay in the northern hemisphere right now are bucking shorter days going into fall. I have four, myself, teetering on the brink of whether to start to lay now or wait until after January when the days will get longer. The suspense is a killer.

So you have that as a factor that is indisputable. Other factors may be in play that we can only guess about. These would include local environmental conditions such as proximity to stresses such as noise, predators, vermin, etc, that can affect laying.

We are in the city so there will be rats and foxes around but I haven't seen any sign of them in the garden. They are safely locked up at sunset.

Another factor is diet. Laying hens require a balanced diet. If they aren't getting the full compliment of vitamins, such as vitamin A and K3, and enough calcium, it can affect whether or not they will lay. Usually, a good commercial feed takes care of that factor.

They are on growers feed with oyster shell on the side. They have been having some free range supervised untill about a week ago. Primary treats are wet feed and weeds.

On the list of factors affecting laying is bacteria and viruses that affect the immune system. We're getting into the weeds now, but these are factors to consider if you rule out the other ones.

They look healthy, no sign of mites.

Checking the pelvic points is always a good thing to check if you wish to know if an individual pullet it ready to lay or is currently laying. An egg isn't going to pass through a channel that's too narrow. The two-finger rule usually is a good indicator. My four pullets are about one and a half fingers, and I am more or less resigned to POL having to wait until the sun starts heading back this way after winter solstice.

I wasn't really sure what I was doing when I checked them back when we got the first egg. They were both going in the nest box and singing the egg song. At least twice there was no egg after Rainbow came out singing that week so we thought it was Martha. It's definitely Rainbow laying now though.

Thanks for responding. I'm not expecting the to young ones to start laying this side of spring. Hope you get some eggs soon.

 

[Meg22]

Well I messed that post up. Half my answer is inside your quote box. Thought it would split it like I've seen in other posts. Sorry about that.

 

[Meg22]

I don’t want to highjack the thread but I have a 6 month EE that has been laying 2 eggs a week for about a month, but nothing now for 2 weeks. Seemed a bit sudden and all others (diff breed) are laying. The feed I use is all flock. oyster shell on the side. Free range but now there is 6-8 inches of snow, behavior is typical perky, quirky self. I’m thinking its just less daylight hours; It’s around 10.5 hrs now.
For winter, do chickens just suddenly stop releasing mature yokes? And, if so, do they need the extra calcium in winter?
thx- sorry to OP. still relevant to topic anyway

We don't get much snow here, it's like summer again today (by British standards 18C and sunny) hope your other hens keep laying through the cold for you. I spent a couple of years just across the border from you in Ontario. Keep warm.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

We don't get much snow here, it's like summer again today (by British standards 18C and sunny) hope your other hens keep laying through the cold for you. I spent a couple of years just across the border from you in Ontario. Keep warm.

Thank you. I’m not too worried if I don’t get eggs in winter.
You are further north and summer- like. That must be nice…enjoy that sun while you can

 

[Ridgerunner]

Is it possible that Martha layed the first 8 eggs and then stopped?

That makes sense. Some pullets that start laying int he fall continue to lay throughout the winter. Some don't. Some skip the molt in their first winter, some don't. It's an individual thing. As Azygous said, there could be something in their environment that causes or influences that. Or it may just be the way she is.

I am also concerned that Rainbow is thinking about going broody. She is spending longer and longer in the nest box when she lays her egg and really snuggling down. I have taken out the fake eggs today. Is there anything else I can do to discourage her?

I don't know of anything I'd actively try to discourage her. I don't want to teach her to not lay in a nest or to hide one. My test if a hen is actually broody is where she spends her nights. If she spends two consecutive nights on the nest instead of roosting in her normal spot, she is broody. If she is starting to spend the night on the nest after she has laid her egg I'd toss her. That might discourage her. But don't do anything that interferes with her laying her egg.

nothing now for 2 weeks..... I’m thinking its just less daylight hours; It’s around 10.5 hrs now.

Sounds like it could be similar to Meg's issue. For whatever reason they just quit laying. Sometimes they reduce laying if because of nothing else they don't have as many daylight hours to eat so they get less nutrition. Eggs may be a bit smaller or they may not lay as often.

But in your case there is another possibility. Is she hiding a nest? Just one of the possibilities.