'I was abducted by Aliens' by Big Chicken

Last night I was happily asleep in my house with my sisters, when bright lights were shone in my eyes and I was beamed out of the house. I was suspended upside down while strange beings probed at my bottom. This morning when I woke up I found myself back in the house with no sign of the late night visitors...
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We are still fretting about why all the chickens except Big Chicken are slackers. The two new chickens we don't expect to lay yet as their combs haven't gone red, but Little Chicken and Chicken Five have lovely red combs which apparently indicate they are laying or about to lay. They have been that way for several weeks now and every day I go in hoping for more than one egg but no luck yet. Last night I was studying the internet and there was an article saying you can feel their 'bum bones' and the distance apart they are indicates how close to laying they are. So we rushed out there and grabbed them off the roost (it is only possible to catch them at night when they seem to deactivate and only wake up enough to eyeball one not to struggle much or run away) and set about prodding their back ends. We felt Big Chicken first for reference and then either Little Chicken or Chicken Five (to be honest can't tell them apart except during the day when Little Chicken will be hanging with Big Chicken). We couldn't feel any difference. We then groped New Chicken for comparison and there was a big difference with hers being much stiffer and closer together (maybe 1 finger width apart instead of 2).
It is possible they are actually laying but are doing it outside the enclosure. So the next plan is to clean the house out (it is a bit smelly) and then stop the door opening in the morning and leave them in there for most the day (with food of course) so if they are laying they will have to do it in the house.
If it turns out they are not laying we will just have to continue waiting patiently. Patience is a strong point for both of us of course. Someone told us if it gets to a certain point in the year and they have not started then they might not bother until spring. Nnnngh.

One of the aliens with chicken