Hidden nest?

[Predoggg]

I have a 23 week old Egyptian hen and so far have not gotten a egg from her yet. Wondering if she has a hidden nest. How did you all find the hidden nests of your hens?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

If you are talking about Egyptian Fayoumi, they do mature faster than the average hen, about 4 1/2 months, or 18 to 20 weeks.

However they would have hatched in June, so they are coming to lay late summer. I've not had Fayoumi, but I've had other faster developing hybrids and find when they come to lay makes a big difference.

My summer babes are 50/50 whether they lay by September/October or wait until spring due to the shortening days. Summer soltice is mid-June, so the days are shortening after that. A pullet needs about 14 to 16 hours of daylight to trigger her pituitary gland to start laying. I'm in northern Oregon, so I don't necessarily see long enough daylight for summer babes to lay by late summer-fall.

However, I see you are in South Carolina, so your days may be a bit longer than mine are now. With that in mind, watch your pullets and see their activity. If they disappear behind a bush, meander by a bucket, you may find a hidden nest.

Good luck with the Easter Egg hunt. However, you may find they simply won't start to lay until March.

LofMc

 

[Predoggg]

She hatched late March and should be laying by now. Yes, I am in South Carolina and days are still pretty long. I do know September is the month when they slow down and December is when they stop to begin laying at the end of February / March.

She is able to easily clear the 4ft fence and wonder around in the neighborhood. I will need a chicken GPS locator for her.

 

[Mrs. K]

Does her comb and vent look like she is laying? Do you have a rooster, or does she squat for you? If she is laying and you don't know where, take a cup of coffee and a book, and sit down there just quiet. Eventually she will disappear, and you can find the nest.

Sometimes nests are hidden in impossible spots to have a nest, sometimes they are hidden in almost plain sight. It is funny how our brain does not expect eggs there, and so almost doesn't see them.

Good luck

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Even if a breed has a reputation of starting to lay fairly early not every chicken of that breed starts at the same time. On average they start early. Some will start earlier or later than others. You have one chicken. That is not enough of a sample size for averages to mean anything. I've had some pullets start laying months later than they "should".

I think your first step should be to determine if she is laying. You could confine her to a small area for two or three days and nights to see if you get an egg. Another way is the vent check. A pullet or hen that is laying has a pink, moist, fairly large vent. One not laying has a small tight dry vent. If you have some that are laying and some that are not you can check their vents to easily see the difference.

If she is laying my thoughts would be to train her to lay where I want her to. Basically confine her every day until she lays her egg for at least a week. That is often long enough to break her of the habit of wherever she is laying. It doesn't always work but often does.

If you can find the hidden nest, so much the better. It helps retrain her if her eggs disappear from her hidden nest. It is not always easy, they can be experts at hiding them and getting to them without you seeing. One way that might help. Confine her until she is pacing the edge of the fence or container, obviously desperate to get to her nest to lay an egg. Let her out and watch from a distance. She may shortly lead you to her nest. Maybe not.

Good luck, this can be frustrating.

 

[Predoggg]

She laid her first egg this morning which was a soft shell egg. She is the only white egg layer in that flock. She laid it in the coop. Her comb and waddles are fully in and red for a while now.

She is an Egyptian and does not come to close to us. We are fine with that. Found her in the neighbors fenced in area too. If we are there will she stay in the fenced in area.

Good to see her laying now and the long wait is over.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Congratulations on yhe egg! If you don't want her flying over the frnce to the neighbor's, you might want to trim the long flight feathers on one wing.