menagerie Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 When am I likely to get an egg? I got my hens from Omlet. The man said they'd start behaving differently when they were about to lay but I can't remember how long he said that would be or how old they are. He said Sandie was the oldest but Henrietta's comb seems redder to me. Is the behaviour difference obvious? Should I put straw in the eglu just in case? Also I'm not sure they're eating enough layers pellets. I don't give them many treats but they seem to like grass, weeds, slugs, stones, flowers much better than pellets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Couperman Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Hi, we are outside the Omlet delivery area so sourced ours locally. We didn't notice much change in behaviour as they started laying the day after we got them! They do behave differently now though the kind of do a little curtsy when you approach them, this is bracing themselves for the cockerals advances ( they see you as the cockeral) when they are into lay apparently. Not all of ours do this though, must be playing hard to get! Kev. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menagerie Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 They still tend to run off when I approach them! except when they want to go behind me, or they think I have food, in which case they cluck stridently at me. Henrietta especially is becoming very bolshy! So maybe no eggs yet. Should I put straw for them? I've only had them a week and a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan H Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Nature is a wonderful thing... you are doing nothing wrong and they will lay eventually.... and that day will be amazing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Also I'm not sure they're eating enough layers pellets. If you look back through my previous posts you'll see that I posted a very similar question some weeks back. However, ours recently started to 'squat' when we approached them and sure enough, Audrey started laying about a week later (Greta is yet to produce). Now that we're getting an egg a day, a lot more layers pellets are being consumed Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starboyhull Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Ours start with the squatting thing and about a week later Hilda started laying, she also started putting straw over her back too.........The others have now started squating too so hopefully in a week or so we might be getting more eggs....... Also they seem more friednly now and less likely to run away......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentle1973 Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 We are also out of the omlet delivery area, so we got ours locally. Two were sold to us as point of lay and the third was a week behind. We were told it would take two weeks for the older two to start laying, and presumably the other is a week behind. Sure enough after 16 days one laid and egg and the next day the other one did, but we are still waiting for the third one to lay, and we will have had them for 4 weeks on Sunday. The things we noticed different when they started laying was that they crouched down when we went near them, but I have to say all three are doing this, but only two are laying (don't know which two!). Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah 2 Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 It definitely feels like it's never going to happen. And you're going to have the only hens that don't ever lay. Then one morning you'll find a small but perfectly formed egg and be so proud. I'm sure it won't be long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menagerie Posted July 12, 2007 Author Share Posted July 12, 2007 Thanks all for the reassurance and encouragement. I need to be more patient I think! I'm rather frustrated that I didn't listen harder to the omlet man - I was rather overwhelmed at the time with thinking Yay I've got a chicken! and found the details a bit complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggheads Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 We got our hens from Omlet on May 25th and we're still waiting for our first egg!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol U Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 One of ours layed the day after she started the squating behaviour and the other about 10 days after. I too worried that they were eating too few pellets, but the consumption increased dramatically once they were laying. I would definitely put some straw in the nesting box as sometimes they just like to sit there. I made a point of feeding ours something by hand each day and they soon became very friendly. I also discovered that if they were hard to get back into the run, a small dish of chopped up cooked veg (anything leftover) would always do the trick. Now, they only have to see the dish and they are back at the run before me! Good luck, Carol U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueChick Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 We got our hens from Omlet on May 25th and we're still waiting for our first egg!! We got ours on June 18th and 2 1/2 weeks later one of them started laying but the other is still not producing. We think she may have laid an egg in the run one day but no more since. Can be very frustrating waiting though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggheads Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 I'm pleased to report that we got our first egg today (7 weeks and 2 days after we got our hens). We definately noticed a change in Chocolate's behaviour yesterday - flattening herself whenever I approached so we were expecting to wake up to an egg this morning and were quite disappointed when we found the nesting box empty. However, after she'd been out for an hour she went back inside the Eglu and half an hour later there it was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 hi we have had our girls for 5 days they both crouch when you stroke them but not every time the farmer said they were 20 weeks old and shouldnt be long beforee they start laying i check the nest box at every opportunity, i did notice today that they had messed up the paper and it was everywhere so i decided one of them must have been trying it out and will lay an egg tomorrow i have also put some straw in the nest box incase they have a preferance to paper do you think i am mad sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnrob Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 i have also put some straw in the nest box incase they have a preferance to paperdo you think i am mad sarah We have shredded paper in the nest box. Before they started laying they would roost on the edge of the nest box and it would be full of poo in a morning. Since they've been laying there hasn't been a single poo incident - just flattened paper which we fluff up each day for them until it's replaced. I think you have to be mad to be on here Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosemarysBaby Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 I approached my 16 week old marans yesterday and it crouched which i was so excited about as we have been in worry and debate whether they are both girls or not, other one not crouching yet but i was told marans dont lay til about 24 weeks so dont think crouching theory works with mine i keep approaching them every so often to see if other will do it i see it as a certainty of girlyness *claps* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
