Single hen

[fluffyknickers]

I know this is a silly question but I have no idea what crouching is and isnt!

 

Nugget my is a lovely girl and much bigger than the two and I handle her the most. Today they are in the garden free ranging and when I have gone with my hand near nugget she does this little stamping thing and bobs down. She doesnt go all the way down and spread her wings out like some have said just kind of moves her wings (I was about to type 'arms' ) in a shrug and bobs down.

 

I dont know if its crouching or her simply tensing up because she thinks "oh she is going to pick me up".

 

Am I clutching at desperate straws for my egg!

 

x

[Old Speckled Hen]

I think that's crouching.

Eggies soon

[Barkisland]

Eggs in less than a week I reckon

[cluckbok]

Yeah I agree, sounds like crouching. Give it a week. Our Matilda went through a moult and we couldn't pick her up anymore as she had chook PMT Then one day I noticed her comb was getting redder again and I went to stroke her and she crouched, well a week later as per my estimate we had an egg. Don't expect an egg everyday to begin with, it takes a while for them to get their tackle in gear!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Definitely crouching . No question . Fingers crossed for eggies soon .

[fluffyknickers]

You are all getting my hopes up, so you all to blame if this time next week I dont have an egg

 

She did it more after I posted this and when I went out to give them some spaghetti she did the funny little mini stamping dancing thing and bobbing down.

 

Could some of you not move to my village so you can pop round and give me advise every day!

 

 

x

[Old Speckled Hen]

Could some of you not move to my village so you can pop round and give me advise every day!

 

 

x

 

We're all here in the omlet village

[chelsea]

I would say 14 days after crouching

 

who knows.....some say a week some say 2......an eggy weggy will be coming pretty soon

[cluckbok]

Absolutely right DA! we are all in the Omlet Village, a magical place where hen keepers can chat to their hearts content, where people understand hen problems. I love this place!

[Cooks]

Flo is practiscing laying at the moment and has been crouching a little less than a week I guess. She kind of did a half crouch at first, which was a 'shall I crouch or shall I not??' now she flattens herself shes my baby though and is so affectionate!

[cluckbok]

My Columbine (Skyline) also is sooo affectionate, loves her cuddles! Crouched big time for me today with little cluck noises, sweeet! We on our 3rd egg from her now since she's starting laying again after the moult. Not one everyday but we are getting there, oohh it's lovely to have the supplies up again!

[Cooks]

she is by far my most affectionate girl and she's new to us and not laying yet.. she snuggles her head into my chest and goes to sleep..

 

Dory crouches once but if you dont pick her up then you;ve had it... that's your lot for the day..

[cluckbok]

Crikey she is affectionate! We didn't stand a chance with Matilda when she moulted, now that was a chook with PMT! hid under the garden table! It's lovely to have the old Matilda back all soft and fluffy

[Cooks]

yes she's certainly a cuddle monster bless her, makes a nice change to be cuddled without being frisked for food.

 

I love 'crouching' though, it's so sweet to see isn't it, it makes me laugh every time they do it.

[mostin]

Ooooohhhh eggies on the way . I love the crouching tap dance, it makes me laugh every time. A couple of my girls are really soppy and crouch if I so much as look as them. A couple of them are a bit more grumpy and you can tell that they really have no control over the crouching, and that they really wouldn't do it if it was up to them .

[Cooks]

if I dont get an egg from Flo soon I'll pop, I cant bear it!

[fluffyknickers]

TWO WEEKS! No i cant wait that long!

[ted]

Myfanwy, one of the blue pekins did the whole crouching thing but Charlotte the leghorn has not... Is crouching breed specific??? The leghorns are not the most friendly of the flock anyway...

[Cooks]

no my brothers white leghorns are very uppity things.

 

Flo is crouching if I just move at the moment bless her heart! (first egg laid today, cream and not or but it does have blue speckles on one side of it, so that's her token blue gesture.. )

[mostin]

no my brothers white leghorns are very uppity things.

 

Flo is crouching if I just move at the moment bless her heart! (first egg laid today, cream and not or but it does have blue speckles on one side of it, so that's her token blue gesture.. )

 

Congratulations cookie . My Carla, who's a columbine (another version of a skyline I think) decided to lay instead of . I hope your girl grows ito doing blue ones since you've got some speckles on there, my girl hasn't , I still love her to bits though .

 

Myfanwy, one of the blue pekins did the whole crouching thing but Charlotte the leghorn has not... Is crouching breed specific??? The leghorns are not the most friendly of the flock anyway...

 

Ted, I think it's more "hen" specific than "breed" specific, but it wouldn't suprise me if your leghorn didn't crouch as they are notoriously flighty and standoffish , bless them.

[tania]

Okay I know I'm going to sound daft and you'll laugh. ......but what is crouching? This is obviously something I should look out for before they begin laying. Only had them just over a week so am keen to know what the signs are. I can't wait for my first egg!

[Cooks]

Congratulations cookie . My Carla, who's a columbine (another version of a skyline I think) decided to lay instead of . I hope your girl grows ito doing blue ones since you've got some speckles on there, my girl hasn't , I still love her to bits though

 

Yes that's right Mostin, I love Flo to bits so it doesn't matter at all really, but it would have been nice for the children, but as OS came in today and saw her newly laid first egg and said 'ooh cream wicked!!!' I dont think he's bothered do you?? The blue speckles are her 'token blue' I think, I really think we will end up with this just off white egg colour.

 

Sugars are cream also but more of a pinky tinged cream when you hold the two together.

 

Tania - crouching is when the hen flattens herself to the ground lifting her shoulders. They do this when you approach sometimes when they are coming into lay or laying.

 

Others can describe it better than me I am sure.

[ted]

Tania

 

Like Cookiemonster says they just sort of squat down flatter to the ground and stay very still. My one that is doing it will not do on approach but when you put your hand over her back. I think it may be something to do with a mating position??

Other signs that mine showed were

1. making a bit more noise as if they were announcing something

2. disappearing off on their own

3. noticable change in size and reddening of comb

 

keep fluffing up your bedding in the nest box and you may start to notice "dents" in it where they have started to find a comfortable place.

 

This was my experience... It was about a week to go when she started disappearing

[OwenLdn]

Excellent- my Light Sussex crouched for me yesterday when i brought in the food- i could do with an egg- only 1 laid by the Wyandotte and that was the second day we got her- and none since- i had hoped she would have settled in by now.

 

She is getting a little bullied by the Plymouth Rock but hopefully this is just establishing hierachy still.

 

A friend of mine got 2 RIR crosses a week after me and has had 13 eggs in 2 weeks! He even offered me some of his! That will teach me not to go with proper egg layers!!

 

Its so hard not to be inpatient!

[ted]

I know what you mean. i have had my girls since christmas and only 2 are laying. Charlotte 1 egg every 2 days and Myfanwy 4 eggs a week. need the others to catch up soon... Hannahs comb is getting redder by the day