Unless you find the eggs in the hen house or run, how do you know if a pullet or hen is in lay?

In this video clip, Mike shows how to tell if a female chicken is laying eggs.

Firstly, he checks the health of the birds, looking at:

• feather condition of the body and wings
• eye, nostrils, comb and wattles
• vent (cloaca or "back-end")

To tell if the hen is laying eggs, feel gently around the vent, as Mike explains. The area will feel inflated when the hen is in lay.

If the area feels taut or the bird looks unwell, she may not be laying and may have an illness such as egg peritonitis.