Egg Song but No Eggs Yet

[VTBobCat]

When I first went outside, I looked around for any sign of danger but didn't see any, so I'm not sure it was that this time, but it is definitely possible. I live on the edge of the woods and animals love to visit our property. I just didn't see anything this morning, though I could have missed it.

I'll keep on watching, waiting, and twiddling my thumbs until the ladies finally decide to start paying me back for their food!

Thanks everyone!

 

[Patinas]

My first hen to start laying started acting stressed and became very vocal about 4-5 days before she finally laid her first egg. Her change in behavior and vocalizations were very noticeable than her behavior up to that point so I knew she was getting ready to start laying.

It must really freak them out to feel that first egg making its way out but I still remember how excited I was when she gave me that first egg!!

 

[aart]

I call it the 'Raucous Cacophony'.
One year I had 10 pullets that were the loudest bunch I had ever heard,
they went on for hours a day and days on end until most of them were laying.
The worst of it lasted a couple-few weeks.
At times it was so annoying that I closed my windows.

 

[Peppercorngal]

My Red Star named Mary sang the egg song many times before she laid her first egg. Probably for a week before she would sing everyday. Even when free ranging she would just start the song! She was very loud and got everyone else to sing with her, including Black Bart the rooster! Now she sings when she lays and after that every time some other girl lays she loudly sings the song, even if they do not! She's a noisy one.

 

[TinyPterodactyls]

A lot of my gals practice the egg song about 4 weeks before onset or as they are getting close sometimes when startled the egg song is what happens. Funny enough even my boys join in the egg song!

My gals will even pace in and out of the boxes, checking them out. Sometimes a whole day of egg singing before they lay. One even sang all day and then an egg popped out and smashed on my patio while she was perched on my shoulder. In addition to the egg song there is usually a whole lot of squawk awk awk type sounds before they go in to actually lay.

Waiting is so hard... you're almost there!

I have my first ever flock of hens right now (Australorps, Barred Rocks, and Speckled Sussex). They are about 17 weeks old. As I was getting ready for work this morning, I heard the egg song for the first time! I stopped what I was doing and listened to be sure that is what I heard, then I heard it again! I excitedly ran out to the run and searched, but found no egg. One of my barred rocks has been squatting for about 1-2 weeks now and I assume it was her who was making all the noise, though there are others who have large, bright red combs and wattles right now so who knows.
From your experience, how soon after the egg song have your ladies started laying? Like I said, this is my first ever flock and I'm just excitedly (and impatiently) waiting to see that first egg!

 

[TinyPterodactyls]

This response was really helpful! I'm reading this thread because my hens have been inconsistently producing the egg song for a few weeks but we haven't seen eggs yet. Sometimes they do it in the morning when our rooster crows... maybe they just feel left out of the action and want to make some noise HAHA! Either way, I'll patiently keep waiting and checking for eggs!

 

[Mimi13]

This response was really helpful! I'm reading this thread because my hens have been inconsistently producing the egg song for a few weeks but we haven't seen eggs yet. Sometimes they do it in the morning when our rooster crows... maybe they just feel left out of the action and want to make some noise HAHA! Either way, I'll patiently keep waiting and checking for eggs!

I am in the same boat as you right now. In addition to my older flock, I have twelve 19 week old pullets and of course I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for them to start laying. Unlike my other girls, I have not confined these girls to the coop for a week or so for them to “learn” where to lay, which has me worried. Several times a day several of them will sing their version of the egg song. Many times I have gone running to where they are to look around. It has been so hot lately they like hanging out under the huge mountain laurels. But I’ve not found any eggs in the bushes...yet. Believe it or not, one of them laid an egg in one of the many nest boxes this past Monday. The beginnings for every new egg layer is always so exciting to me.

Side note: I have not confined this last group of pullets because I’ve got diverse breeds this time with some not maturing until 24-28 weeks. I hate to keep those 5 or 6 locked up and missing out from free ranging for a month. Yeah, I didn’t think this one through well enough.

Happy days ahead for you!

 

[BackyardChickenslover]

My chicken was midway in the laying process and start singing. I checked and there was nothing so I hugged her and she started singing again. I put her back in her nesting box and she is calm again lol.