So, a few days ago it looked like Fancy might be missing. No sign of her anywhere
Then, at next flock check, there she was! Hmmmm.....odd. But glad she wasn't "lost". A couple of days later, I saw her hop the fence into the neighbor's yard (fortunately, they LOVE my chickens and their young children have adopted them as their own...very cute). She disappeared before I could get over to the yard to see where she went. There are a lot of bushes along our fence line, but I couldn't find her in them anywhere. Curiouser and curiouser. I suspected that Fancy was laying somewhere next door, but couldn't find where.
Yesterday I left the girls in their coop run while I was at work, instead of letting them out to range, in the hopes that Fancy would use the nest box like everyone else. When I let them out after I got home mid-afternoon, she ran to the fence, hopped onto it, then into the neighbor's yard. Darn! I ran over, but again she had eluded me. I was being outsmarted by a very determined chicken. So today I had my daughter open up the run while I made myself inconspicuous in the neighbor's yard. Sure enough, Fancy made her way over the fence, but instead of going into the fence line bushes, she purposefully strolled across the yard to some bushes that I thought were too far away from the fence for her to safely consider. I watched her go into these bushes, and moved in afterher. Oh My Goodness!!! She was sitting on a HUGE clutch of eggs! I chased her out and retrieved 17 eggs.
Yes....17!
She must have been laying there for about 3 weeks. Guess who doesn't get to range until she figures out where the nest box is.
Yesterday I left the girls in their coop run while I was at work, instead of letting them out to range, in the hopes that Fancy would use the nest box like everyone else. When I let them out after I got home mid-afternoon, she ran to the fence, hopped onto it, then into the neighbor's yard. Darn! I ran over, but again she had eluded me. I was being outsmarted by a very determined chicken. So today I had my daughter open up the run while I made myself inconspicuous in the neighbor's yard. Sure enough, Fancy made her way over the fence, but instead of going into the fence line bushes, she purposefully strolled across the yard to some bushes that I thought were too far away from the fence for her to safely consider. I watched her go into these bushes, and moved in afterher. Oh My Goodness!!! She was sitting on a HUGE clutch of eggs! I chased her out and retrieved 17 eggs.
Yes....17!
