chocolatedog Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 As I left for work this morning, I happened to glance into the run, and saw that Spice (youngest) was missing - then I saw her head peep round the eglu door from the nesting box......I've been sooooo eggs-cited all day........and I rushed home, looked in the nesting box, and saw.......one Ginger egg and one Pepper egg......I feel soooo disappointed! Do you think she may have laid and it was soft and has been eaten? Or is it quite usual for a hen new to laying to follow her instincts in to the nesting box but without producing anything at first? The other 2 were both pretty obvious before they started laying - they started squatting in front of me, but Spice hasn't yet done that at all so I assumed she wasn't quite ready yet. Can a bird new to laying get egg-bound with the first egg? (Or am I just worrying too much? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 Unless she appears unwell - I doubt that she is egg bound - she might just have been exploring. My chickens sometimes go and sit in the nest box for hours - just to 'chill' and then they come out again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 You are worrying too much. If she isn't squatting, she isn't ready yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbieboy Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 Moira, our Fayoumi, is well overdue to start laying, her face turns red now and again but her comb is still tiny and pale but, she disapears into the Cube when big Mavis goes into lay and she sits in the box beside her but never lays an egg. Maybe they are just gossiping about knitting patterns or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 . If she isn't squatting, she isn't ready yet. Do they always squat before laying? as one of my leghorns Iris has started to lay, and she is still so flighty, but doesn't let me near her, never mind squat karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 My Bunny has never once squatted - also very flighty. She has laid though although more softies than hard shelled and now she has started to moult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatedog Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 That's now 2 days in a row Spice has disappeared into the nesting box - it'll be interesting to see if she lays today.......do hens sometimes do this before they start laying properly? At what stage should I start to get worried? ( Sorry - horribly paranoid chicken mum here......... ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Mine explored the nest box a few times before laying and they sometimes do have a sit down with no results. Our White Star and Light Sussex don't squat but both are now laying well, this does however make them very hard to catch. The only way we can check them over is to lock them in the eglu and take them out through the egg port. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatedog Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 UPDATE!!!! She's laid!!! We're at full production now!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Hooray! Well done you (or your chicken!!)! I've just read this thread with interest as I'm hoping my two younger hens will be laying soon (both now around 17 weeks). My Rhode Star is squatting when I stoke her but my Maran Cuivre looks more developed. Both of them follow the Coral into the eglu when she is laying and watch her with interest! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatedog Posted November 7, 2007 Author Share Posted November 7, 2007 Pepper was about 22 weeks when she started laying (I think) and Ginger started a wek after that, so she was around 23-24 weeks....Spice was 15-16 weeks when she arrived with the other 2 so that makes her somewhere more in the region of 26 weeks old just now, which someone (can't remember who) said was more usual than 22 weeks....but then Pepper is a Bovans Nera who is bred to lay in excess of 300 eggs a year so she may have started earlier because of that, whereas Spice is likely to lay more in the region of 240 eggs per year...... still, at least she's now laying so I'm looking forward to seeing her eggs develop their true colour in the next week or so - it was a big egg too - same size as Pepper, and Pepper has been laying for a couple of months!!! No wonder she did a practice run yesterday!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Both of them follow the Coral into the eglu when she is laying and watch her with interest! How old was your Coral when she started laying, Jo? My Coral and Bovans Nera are 24 weeks now and no sign of any eggs yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 How old was your Coral when she started laying, Jo? My Coral and Bovans Nera are 24 weeks now and no sign of any eggs yet I don't know, is the honest answer! We bought her 2 weeks ago as POL from the local poultry centre at the same time as the 16 week olds. I would assume she's not that much older as the new hybrids all arrived at the poultry centre at the same time. She has a very big red comb and is very vocal (with a sound like the old Inter City ads - beeerk, buck!) At the moment she's laying little eggs every other day. Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Muriel has got a lot more vocal and bossy but her comb is not very big although it is dark pink to red now. Very red if I have the audacity to pick her up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomaxsmith Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 Mine doesn't like me touching her, accepts it if I insist but really doesn't want me to! I'm hoping she'll get more friendly as they spend more time here! Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktdot Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 She's quite happy to follow me everywhere and stick her beak into whatever I'm doing but doesn't like being handled. None of mine do really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolatedog Posted November 8, 2007 Author Share Posted November 8, 2007 Another interesting update - found an egg in the run this evening after school - half buried in the hemcore......and I retrieved 3 eggs from the nest already today, so now I'm thinking she MAY have laid that first day - but just not in the nesting box...... It was very mucky but I think it looks like the other 2 she's laid, rather than like Pepper or Ginger's eggs....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
