Wondering if she has laid?

[Serillelife]

I've got some pullets I think are ready to start laying, red sex link and white leghorns. They have red combs and wattles, and my Roos have been all over the leghorns (the sex links are running when its attempted) after researching I decided to check their pelvic width. My leghorns are all about 2 fingertips apart, and one had a wet/open vent. There have been no eggs in nestboxes, but they free range most of the day. Is it possible the one that has the open wet vent has already laid somewhere? I keep track of them when they are out, so I'm at a loss as to where she could have gone if she did. TIA

 

[sourland]

It's a possibility.

 

[aart]

Definitely a possibility, more like a probability.
Best to confine them to coop and run for a week or so.....
....and bait the nests with fake eggs/golf balls.

Hopefully your coop/run is of adequate size to confine them without problems.

Are the 'roos' the same age as the pullets?
How many males to how many females?

 

[Serillelife]

Definitely a possibility, more like a probability.
Best to confine them to coop and run for a week or so.....
....and bait the nests with fake eggs/golf balls.

Hopefully your coop/run is of adequate size to confine them without problems.

Are the 'roos' the same age as the pullets?
How many males to how many females?

At the moment I have 6 Roos and 18 pullets. Although one roo is still in question. The Roos are the same age, except the one in question, it's older. I've had the nest boxes out for weeks with fake eggs in them and some of the pullets have been in there moving stuff around. The bulk of them (4 red sex link, 4 white leghorns and 2 rir are almost 18 weeks. I have an australorp and 2 red sex link that are almost 19 weeks, and the other pullets are wyandottes that are almost 17 weeks. I'm gonna hold off letting them out today until later, and see if anything happens. Almost all of them (except the wyandottes and one rir) have bright red combs and wattles.

 

[aart]

How much older is the one 'roo'?
I'd get rid of all, or all but one, of the males.
They can cause a lot of stress in the flock and that can effect laying as well as cause injuries.

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).

Letting them out later might do the trick, but it might take more than that.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for 3-4 days (or longer) can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop 24/7 for a few days to a week, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

 

[Serillelife]

How much older is the one 'roo'?
I'd get rid of all, or all but one, of the males.
They can cause a lot of stress in the flock and that can effect laying as well as cause injuries.

FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).

Letting them out later might do the trick, but it might take more than that.
Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for 3-4 days (or longer) can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop 24/7 for a few days to a week, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.

The roo in question is a Cochin who is almost 23 weeks. We just can't tell what gender it is, but it acts like a cockerel. I'm working on building some separate house and run for the guys. So far everyone gets along really well. There are three top cockerels and they seem to have split up the girls amongst themselves. Hoping I can get their stuff built before there is an issue.

 

[Serillelife]

The chicken in question laid her egg today, in the nestbox!! Got my first egg!!

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Congrats! Beautiful egg!

 

[Serillelife]

Thank you! It was like a mini egg but perfect and clean!