They will sit on her nest and may be seen straining slightly. Some hens will also become vocal, crowing, cackling or otherwise calling out to the other members of the flock as they lay their eggs.
If you are looking for visual signs that your young pullet is getting ready to come into lay, those might include the fact that her comb will get larger and redder right before she begins, and she will begin to squat submissively when you reach down to pet her. Leghorn hens have very large combs that flop over, while Easter Eggers have compact pea combs, barely there by comparison. A hen who is laying well will also have a moist, pink vent, and a wide, plump pelvis. The legs of a good layer may also be paler or bleached (in brown egg laying breeds with yellow legs). The males stand guard, which is a lovely thought. If you have found a place where your guinea fowl hen is laying then I would keep an old egg there so that they continue to lay there otherwise if ytou are taking the eggs away they will eventually stop laying there and find another nest site. Hope this helps. My guinea fowl generally lay after lunch from 1pm although the odd one will lay in the morning especially if they are mixing with hens and ducks as they copy behaviour. The males like to lay in the sun or dust bathe and also sit around and wait whilst the guinea hen is sitting and laying her eggs. The Fool Proof Method. The most obvious way to tell if hens are laying is to separate them from the rest of the flock and wait a few days. I keep two large dog crates for this purpose. When egg production is down, I put a hen in each crate with food and water for up to three days.  Similar to e gg binding, Peritonitis (an indicator of internal laying), is a distressing issue that can occur with laying hens. Internal laying is a disorder where the yolk of the egg, rather than being laid in the normal manner, is not taken up by the oviduct and instead is deposited in the abdomen. If your hen is egg bound, she will most likely exhibit symptoms to tell you there is an issue. These symptoms can include: 1  Lethargy. 2  Straining. 3  Uncharacteristic sitting/squatting. 4  Tail pumping up and down. When Pullets Start to Lay Eggs. Summer has arrived and your spring chicks will be approaching puberty. Assuming they’ve enjoyed good food and care, the young hens, called pullets, begin laying sometime between their 16th and 24th week of age. You can anticipate the arrival of eggs soon! Discovering a hen’s first egg from your own hand-raised chicks is a thrill. Pullet eggs are tiny and look like gems in the nest. If your pullets are over 16 weeks of age, now is the time to switch them to a Nutrena® layer feed, as laying hens need special nutrition. Producing eggs places great nutritional strain on a hen’s body.  If you're just looking for signs that will help to separate a good layer from a hen who is not currently laying (like a broody hen or a hen that needs medical attention), again, the redness of the comb and wattles is helpful to gauge. Leghorn hens have very large combs that flop over, while Easter Eggers have compact pea combs, barely there by comparison. A hen who is laying well will also have a moist, pink vent, and a wide, plump pelvis. The legs of a good layer may also be paler or bleached (in brown egg laying breeds with yellow legs). Laying Behavior. When your hen is ready to lay an egg, she will sit on her nest and may be seen straining slightly. Some hens will also become vocal, crowing, cackling or otherwise calling out to the other members of the flock as they lay their eggs. Your Hen's Age. Your hens have to be old enough to lay eggs. Most pullets will be between 16 and 24 months of age when they lay their first eggs. Once the first egg has been produced, the pullet should begin producing eggs with more frequency. The signs include: hens with bright red combs and wattles; a yellow color to their skin and legs; a large, moist, pinkish vent; and a wider space between her hips (looking from the back end and feeling for the hip bones, check to see if they are approximately 3 fingers wide). When laying hens are around 18 months old, they begin their first molt. This is the process where chickens lose a lot of their feathers, then grow new ones. Molting requires the consumption of extra calories and protein and may take 3 1/2 months or more. There are certain signs that show that the guinea fowl hen is about to start laying eggs. 1  Visiting the same patch of undergrowth daily. 2  Sitting in a patch of undergrowth for periods of time. 3  Digging a hole in the ground to form a nest area in the undergrowth. 4  Male guinea fowl sitting nearby waiting for the hen. My guinea fowl generally lay after lunch from 1pm although the odd one will lay in the morning especially if they are mixing with hens and ducks as they copy behaviour. The males like to lay in the sun or dust bathe and also sit around and wait whilst the guinea hen is sitting and laying her eggs.
http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-help/Are-there-signs-that-a-hen-may-be-laying-H93.aspx http://farmingfriends.com/signs-that-guinea-fowl-hens-will-lay-eggs/ http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2015/01/how-to-tell-if-a-hen-is-laying-eggs.html http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/ http://www.nutrenaworld.com/knowledge-center/poultry/when-pullets-start-to-lay-eggs/ http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-help/Are-there-signs-that-a-hen-may-be-laying-H93.aspx http://animals.mom.me/tell-chicken-ready-lay-9921.html http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/11/how-to-cull-your-old-laying-hens.html http://farmingfriends.com/signs-that-guinea-fowl-hens-will-lay-eggs/
signs of hens laying