Is my hen laying?

The shortest day has past and you're probably already getting good numbers of eggs from your hens.

But what if you're not sure? If you have a small flock, it can sometimes be hard to figure out who is pulling their weight, and who is a bit slow off the mark, or not even in the game.

1. How old is she?
A young hen takes time to reach point of lay, especially if she is a purebred or crossbred, versus a commercial hybrid like a Brown Shaver or Hyline Brown. These birds are ready to lay by weeks 18-20, whereas a purebred bird may take up to 30 weeks or longer.

2. Check her comb
The comb of a young hen starts small and slowly gets bigger as she approaches point of lay. It also changes colours, from pale pink to a bright red. The colour is actually a signal to a rooster that a hen is fertile.
If a hen of any age has a pale comb, it's likely she's not laying for some reason, either because of her age (hens lay less as they age), or some kind of disease challenge, or possibly because she's not a good layer, so stays in a moult for much longer than her peers.

3. Find the pelvic bones
If you're not sure from a hen's comb whether she is laying or not - and comb size and colour will vary depending on a bird - you can check the pelvic bones and the vent.
To find the pelvic bones, hold your hen tucked under one arm, facing backwards. Use your other hand to feel for the bones on either side of her vent. These are quite prominent bones and are easy to find without getting your hand messy.
A hen that is laying or just about to lay will have a wide gap between her pelvic bones, about 20-30mm 2-3 fingers width). A hen that is on her way to laying but isn't quite there yet will have a gap of about 15-20mm (1-2 fingers). A hen that is not laying will have barely any gap at all, 10-15mm or less.
Note: it is not necessary to insert your fingers into the vent, as some people think! You are just feeling through the skin on either side of the vent for these bones!
The vent itself will also give you clues. A vent that is pink and moist-looking is passing eggs. If it's dry, pale and shrivelled, it's not.

4. Find the nest
If you have a hen with a bright red comb, wide pelvic bones and healthy-looking vent, then you need to start looking for a hidden nest. Hens can be very sneaky and hide their nests incredibly well. It may be you don't have enough nest boxes (have at least one box per 2-4 hens, more is always better) or that a younger hen hasn't got into the habit of laying in the right place. Try locking your hens up in their coop and run for a few days so they have to lay in the right spot, and then keep them locked up until at least 10am if you can (as most eggs are laid before 10am).

It may also be that your nest boxes aren't as enticing to a hen as they could be.

5 ways to create an attractive nest box

1. It should be dark, preferably with a 'roof' (even if they are inside a coop) to create a dark corner
2. Hens like secure spots, so make sure your nest box doesn't wobble when a hen climbs into it
3. If your nest boxes are elevated, have a perch or area out from the entrance where a hen can stand and look inside to check out the nest (like this nest box)
4. If your nest boxes aren't dark enough, use some strips of dark cloth or from an old feed back and hang them across the doorway so the hen feels more 'private' and it's darker.
5. Put in a deep layer of a good quality litter, preferably wood shavings (never hay or straw as it's too moisture-absorbent), at least 10cm deep so the hen can wiggle her way down into a snug position to lay.
   

Nadene Hall
NZ Lifestyle Block magazine