Pullet holding on to first egg? Pre-eggbound?

[SuperC]

Hi all! So I have a question that I can’t find an answer too anywhere. I have a flock of 4 Orpingtons, who are 7 months old in a few days. Only one of them has started to lay (2 weeks ago and is a machine of an egg layer of every 23-24 hours.)

my 3 others are “nesting box curious” but no eggs yet. However, one of them seems to have an egg “in the works”, because I “feel them up” on a regular basis and the last few days I can feel an egg shaped/sized lump in her back end. It’s below the hip bones, behind the vent area, above/behind the leg area and getting more defined.

I’ve dealt with egg bound birds before (not chickens) and so I know the signs, and she’s happy, perky, eating and playing as usual. Absolutely NO signs of being egg bound. I know that layers will drop a yolk every 24 hours or so and it progresses along the path until it’s a full egg with shell and one gets laid every day or so, but how long is the process for a pullet that hasnt dropped that first egg yet?? I kept thinking that if I could feel it in there, that it must be a day or 2 away from happening, but here we are on day 4 or 5 and still no egg. I’ve given some calcimum to help boost things along and they are on an excellent diet with plenty of protein and nutrients. I also feed lots of herbs and things to help support the egg process.

So How long does it take for the egg to be ready? I have 2 cameras on them and watch them like a hawk on my cell phone (& spend 2+ hours a day over multiple trips out there) to keep an eye on them, so I am constantly monitoring behavior/health, and so far she seems as healthy and happy as the others. They are 100% in a run, so she isn’t sneaking off and laying somewhere I can’t see. But how long does a pullet have her first egg “brewing” before it comes out. If she doesn’t lay soon I’m going to get concerned that she has a tumor or something and it’s not actually an egg. I’ve also felt up my one laying hen and she has similar egg/lump feel, but it’s much smaller (but she’s also 30% smaller than the size of her sister so the smaller egg lump doesn’t supprise me). Does anyone know the answer to this conundrum? How long is that “pre egg” going to be there before she lays it?

And also.. can I get some sympathy that they are 7 months old and STILL no eggs!

 

[nuthatched]

It takes 24 hours for an egg to form and be laid. It's likely not an egg.

 

[SuperC]

It takes 24 hours for an egg to form and be laid. It's likely not an egg.

But what else can it be? And is that 24 hour window absolute for a 100% pullet, or can they maybe have it forming in there longer since production hasn’t “turned on” yet? I just don’t know what to think. A constipated chicken? She’s acting totally normal and was even playing chase with her sister this morning (not her usual sedate activity) so I know she’s feeling fine. But what else but an egg can it be?

 

[nuthatched]

But what else can it be? And is that 24 hour window absolute for a 100% pullet, or can they maybe have it forming in there longer since production hasn’t “turned on” yet? I just don’t know what to think. A constipated chicken? She’s acting totally normal and was even playing chase with her sister this morning (not her usual sedate activity) so I know she’s feeling fine. But what else but an egg can it be?

Muscle mass.
She's acting normal? Pooping?
She's OK.
An egg development does not take longer in a pullet. Neither would/can she "hold it". Don't worry.

 

[Mrs. K]

Turn the cameras off - they are shy! haha

Rule of thumb - if they are walking, eating, pooping, bright eyed and active - they are fine.

Can you post a picture of her? Maybe she is not close to laying? Is she squatting for you? Where approximately do you live, cause if you are in the north, you are getting to that quagmire, where they might not lay until spring. One never really knows with pullets. I live in SD, so October is kind of my cut off for expectations. If they are not laying now, they don't til spring...kind of, sort of, they are animals, just when you think you know what to expect...well they change the rules.

Mrs K

 

[SuperC]

Turn the cameras off - they are shy! haha

Rule of thumb - if they are walking, eating, pooping, bright eyed and active - they are fine.

Can you post a picture of her? Maybe she is not close to laying? Is she squatting for you? Where approximately do you live, cause if you are in the north, you are getting to that quagmire, where they might not lay until spring. One never really knows with pullets. I live in SD, so October is kind of my cut off for expectations. If they are not laying now, they don't til spring...kind of, sort of, they are animals, just when you think you know what to expect...well they change the rules.

Mrs K

Yes, walking, talking, pooping, preening, dust bathing, cuddling and the whole 9 yards of healthy behavior. She is the top of the pecking order and my “biggest” lady- both in size and in weight. I have not weighed them, but she is all meat and not fluff, which is still way bigger than my ladies that are thinner but fluffy. About the “squat”… none of my ladies “squat” but they all sort of dip down as you pet them- but they are epic lap chickens and have always dipped down as we have petted them- but even my one layer doesn’t squat- she dips down the same way as the others. Behaviorally, this hen (Miss Stacey) has become more affectionate, but they are all love bugs who like to cuddle, so it’s been only a subtle change the last week of her wanting to cuddle more often than before.

Out of my 4 ladies, they are all over 7 months now (hatch date was March 5) and only 1 is laying (my smallest one ironically- and she is a machine- every 23.5-24 hours she gives us a 1.9oz egg and she has given us 22 eggs in 23 days since she started laying). But I’m starting to suspect that it might be spring before they lay. I live in SE TN (near Chattanooga), where the weather is nice and we are still getting 12 hours of daylight (almost exactally) and so I am just along for the ride at this point.
(In the photos, She is the one standing at the top of the photo of the 2 chickens. )

 

[Mrs. K]

Their combs just don't look red enough to lay to me. I don't think they are too close. How much do they weigh? Sometimes heavy chickens (fat?) can have trouble laying. Do they have enough space to exercise? Do they have food 24/7? How much other food are they getting?

 

[SuperC]

Their combs just don't look red enough to lay to me. I don't think they are too close. How much do they weigh? Sometimes heavy chickens (fat?) can have trouble laying. Do they have enough space to exercise? Do they have food 24/7? How much other food are they getting?

My hen who DOES lay, has a comb the same color as the rest of her sisters I don’t know how heavy- but my middle 2 are a few pounds? My biggest one is maybe 5? I need to weigh them. But as Orpingtons I know they can get hefty.

They have a large run (apx 100sf of space for 4 hens) and a 16sf coop and Multiple climbing options and roosts in the run and coop. They run around, play tag and climb all day. They do have access to food 24/7, but they are SO ladylike about eating. They don’t hork it down, spill it or over eat. I feed them organic Cluck & Co feed. (& scratch mix is from them as well).

Every morning they get a warm breakfast of assorted foods (the 4 of them share about a cup, maybe Less of whatever I make- it’s really just a good morning snack) and I make it with things like chopped greens, herbs, leftover scrambled eggs, maybe some chopped ham, organic black beans, or maybe some left over veggies from the night before, and sometimes I toss a sprinkle of dry oats in the mix and I always add some red pepper flakes or dried mint or maybe a spoon of sourdough discard for a fermented boost. It’s never more than a cup and usually less than that. Every day it’s a bit of somethig different, but I keep a balanced meal of greens,veg and starches and make sure there is some protien in there as well.

Late morning they get a small handful of picked yard or garden greens and 1/4 cup of scratch mix mixed up into a big pile of woodchips to keep them occupied/busy for a few hours. They are not free range, but love to spend a few hours spreading the woodchips around and finding the scratch mix and greens. Sometimes in the afternoon I will offer them a small snack (a handful of soldier fly larve or something) but not always. The feathers are sleek and shiny and they seem to be in perfect health… just no eggs except from one. And she’s a machine with 23 eggs in 24 days since she started!

 

[Mrs. K]

Well they lay, when they lay and not a moment before that! Good luck.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My opinion? Cut way back on all those snacks, extras and treats. Let them eat the balanced commercial feed you are paying for. It contains all the nutrients they need. All that other stuff you're giving them is "cake and ice cream," and if they're filling up on that, they're not getting enough "meat and potatoes" - with the protein and other nutrients they really need. Those extras should not make up more than 10% of their total diet, so ... only a couple of tablespoons per chicken, per day. I know, I used to do the same thing! But now my chickens only get a small handful of scratch, BOSS and dried mealworms once a day, for 20 chickens - and that's not because they need it! It's so they will gather round every afternoon so I can look them over and check for any health issues before they go to roost after they've been free ranging most of the day.