The Front Porch Swing

[perchie.girl]

Okay, then here goes:

Ken and I let the chickens out every evening, and we sit in the lawn chairs keeping an eye on them. There are a few areas where we don't want them to go, so we kinda sit there, talk about our day, chicken herding. Ida had provided another beautiful little egg this morning, and I was keeping an eye on Mathilda, who was snooping suspiciously around under the lilacs.

I glanced over at one of the Red Sex Links and ended up staring at her. I thought, "What's wrong with Beatrice?" She was walking with her legs kinda far apart, and then she'd stand still looking at the ground. She'd walk a few more steps then repeat that process. I had no idea, but I didn't take my eyes off her. After watching for a few minutes, I realized that it looked like she was trying to poop but couldn't get it out.

I put my soda down and just as I got up to get her and check her, she squatted down and laid an almost perfectly formed rubber egg. She felt much better after that. There was no sound, no egg song, either before or after she laid it. I went over and picked it up (yucky) and put it on the table on the deck while she wandered around, munching on weeds, catching bees, and shaking her tail.

It wasn't 30 minutes later when she repeated the entire process. Waddle, shake her bootie, squat, repeat - and then she laid another one! Same chicken....almost the same spot in the grass...but this one was more wrinkly and odd shaped. So I know I'm not crazy - I watched her lay both eggs. I picked up both eggs. I took a photo of both eggs. What in the heck is going on? I understand that it can take some time to get the entire "production line" in sync, so I wasn't surprised by the first one. It was the second one laid so close to the first that is throwing me off. Can someone explain this to me? I'd almost think I've been so obsessed with getting eggs that I was seeing things if I hadn't held those warm, rubbery things in my hand!

Bwhahahah.....

Me thinks its time for the big girl layer feed.... You know.... With Calcium...

or at least a tub of Oyster shells. BTW first eggs can be like this... just a light coating of calcium over the Membrane covering the Albumen. The following link is to a site that has been retired but still has good info.

Odd egg Possiblities

deb


deb

 

[Blooie]

Bwhahahah.....

Me thinks its time for the big girl layer feed.... You know.... With Calcium...

or at least a tub of Oyster shells. BTW first eggs can be like this... just a light coating of calcium over the Membrane covering the Albumen. The following link is to a site that has been retired but still has good info.

Odd egg Possiblities

deb


deb

I put them on layer this weekend, and have oyster shells in there too. And Ida's little eggs are perfect - and delish! I just can't get over two rubber eggs within half an hour from the same hen! I'm heading over to that link right now.

 

[Blooie]

Okay, all of your Porch Perchers in the path or vicinity of Arthur - keep an eye on the sky, have your supplies on hand, and keep us posted as you can about what's going on in your neighborhoods! I worry - that's my job and I'm good at it!

Katie's hair before yesterday:



Katie's hair yesterday:



I know women (and a few men) who have paid a fortune to get those curls! She fights them tooth and nail! The lady who cut it yesterday kept commenting on how thick it is....and was giggling because the more she cut off the curlier it got! These pictures were taken after a liberal dose of Curl Control. Ah, Bug, you are so doggone cute I can't stand it!

 

[Tomtommom]

Okay, then here goes:

Ken and I let the chickens out every evening, and we sit in the lawn chairs keeping an eye on them. There are a few areas where we don't want them to go, so we kinda sit there, talk about our day, chicken herding. Ida had provided another beautiful little egg this morning, and I was keeping an eye on Mathilda, who was snooping suspiciously around under the lilacs.

I glanced over at one of the Red Sex Links and ended up staring at her. I thought, "What's wrong with Beatrice?" She was walking with her legs kinda far apart, and then she'd stand still looking at the ground. She'd walk a few more steps then repeat that process. I had no idea, but I didn't take my eyes off her. After watching for a few minutes, I realized that it looked like she was trying to poop but couldn't get it out.

I put my soda down and just as I got up to get her and check her, she squatted down and laid an almost perfectly formed rubber egg. She felt much better after that. There was no sound, no egg song, either before or after she laid it. I went over and picked it up (yucky) and put it on the table on the deck while she wandered around, munching on weeds, catching bees, and shaking her tail.

It wasn't 30 minutes later when she repeated the entire process. Waddle, shake her bootie, squat, repeat - and then she laid another one! Same chicken....almost the same spot in the grass...but this one was more wrinkly and odd shaped. So I know I'm not crazy - I watched her lay both eggs. I picked up both eggs. I took a photo of both eggs. What in the heck is going on? I understand that it can take some time to get the entire "production line" in sync, so I wasn't surprised by the first one. It was the second one laid so close to the first that is throwing me off. Can someone explain this to me? I'd almost think I've been so obsessed with getting eggs that I was seeing things if I hadn't held those warm, rubbery things in my hand!

Imagine it like the bowling ball return at a bowling alley. More than one ball can sit in that area without issue. Because those eggs were so rubbery, she couldn't push it out. Her vent had never passed an egg before and a soft egg is not going to stretch that area out. It wasn't until egg number two started putting pressure on egg number one that the two could pass. She likely walked around for atleast 20 hours with egg number one in her vent area, not too uncomfortable since it was rubbery.

Subsequent eggs should pass easier... but do keep an eye on her. Internal laying can become an issue.

Okay, all of your Porch Perchers in the path or vicinity of Arthur - keep an eye on the sky, have your supplies on hand, and keep us posted as you can about what's going on in your neighborhoods! I worry - that's my job and I'm good at it!

Katie's hair before yesterday:



Katie's hair yesterday:



I know women (and a few men) who have paid a fortune to get those curls! She fights them tooth and nail! The lady who cut it yesterday kept commenting on how thick it is....and was giggling because the more she cut off the curlier it got! These pictures were taken after a liberal dose of Curl Control. Ah, Bug, you are so doggone cute I can't stand it!

That's a lovely haircut!

My hair was a nightmare as a child... It tangled so easily. Blonde hair tends to do that.

It's gotten better, but if I don't brush it for a day, it's a mess and I either have to sit and pull the strands apart by hand or wash with plenty of conditioner. It's about time to get it cut again... It's about down to my butt

I'm wearing it up most of the time, little baby hands like to grab on to whatever they can find.

 

[Blooie]

Imagine it like the bowling ball return at a bowling alley. More than one ball can sit in that area without issue. Because those eggs were so rubbery, she couldn't push it out. Her vent had never passed an egg before and a soft egg is not going to stretch that area out. It wasn't until egg number two started putting pressure on egg number one that the two could pass. She likely walked around for atleast 20 hours with egg number one in her vent area, not too uncomfortable since it was rubbery.

Subsequent eggs should pass easier... but do keep an eye on her. Internal laying can become an issue.

Thanks! That makes so much sense. I just feel bad because I watch them so closely and didn't see that she might be having a problem until she laid the first egg. Of course, like you said she might not have been that uncomfortable since they were soft, but thinking that she was hurting for up to 20 hours is a bit disconcerting. I will keep a close eye on her and sure appreciate the warning and the information.


That's a lovely haircut!

My hair was a nightmare as a child... It tangled so easily. Blonde hair tends to do that.

It's gotten better, but if I don't brush it for a day, it's a mess and I either have to sit and pull the strands apart by hand or wash with plenty of conditioner. It's about time to get it cut again... It's about down to my butt

I'm wearing it up most of the time, little baby hands like to grab on to whatever they can find.

Katie's hair is so hard to work with....I can't imagine if had been as long as yours and had formed dreadlocks every night. She's a back sleeper, totally. She tosses her head from side to side and moves her arms and legs all over the place in her sleep, but I have never looked in on her and not seen her on her back. That doesn't help the tangle situation, and it's always the back of her hair. It curled up and tangled so badly that when we first started the comb out process in the morning it looked shorter than the front - and it wasn't! We start the process with a pick, then a wide toothed comb dipped in warm water, then the de-tangler and chunky brush. Only then could we begin to style it - braids, piggy tails, pony, half and half, bun - whatever. But we never dared just leave it brushed and expect it to stay nice. If she's grouchy (very rare for her in the morning, by the way -she's a morning person through and through) she'd whine and say she just wants to be a "feral child" all day. The only thing that helped considerably was using WEN, which is the only thing I use for me....but on the kids' budget that's not possible. When she stays with us while the kids have Kendra in Denver or Salt Lake we use WEN and play "beauty shop", using thick British accents. After that it's pretty manageable, but never for long.

 

[Tomtommom]

I've always wanted to try that WEN stuff.

I sleep with my hair tied in a bun, I can't let it down while sleeping. Heck, I honestly don't wear it down much, period. Makes you wonder what the point of long hair is

My mom used to buy a detangle spray, not sure what it was, but it helped a lot. We got tired of it once, and cut it really short. It looked awful on me. So I let it grow really long again. Cut it short-ish... grow it long. And so on and so forth. It's time again. I'm sure my husband will be sad

 

[lazy gardener]

What in the heck is going on? I understand that it can take some time to get the entire "production line" in sync, so I wasn't surprised by the first one. It was the second one laid so close to the first that is throwing me off. Can someone explain this to me? I'd almost think I've been so obsessed with getting eggs that I was seeing things if I hadn't held those warm, rubbery things in my hand!

Ok, Blooie, I love you and I know you're not crazy, and that in the world of chickens anything is possible... Last summer, i had a black sex link... lovely little girl who was a rubber egg layer. In one 14 hour period, she laid 2 rubber eggs within a 5 minute period, (I witnessed both events) and a nice big normal egg about 14 hours later. So, when you have a BYC expert tell you that it takes a chicken 25 hours to produce and lay an egg, that expert hasn't met our chickens, and certainly hasn't taken the time to explain this fact to our chickens! Your girl will settle down with the assembly line, most likely, and she will be a nice little layer. But, as PP said, you should keep an eye on her b/c she may be more prone to be an internal layer.

I LOVE Katie's new hair cut. It really frames her face well.

TTMom: How much are you going to get cut off your hair? If it's at least 6", you can donate it to "Locks of Love". They use it to make wigs for children who are going through chemo.

I hate to spend money on hair care products. I put just a dab of body lotion on my hands while they're wet, and smooth them down my 7 y.o.'s wet hair if it's tangly before brushing it. It works real well. If you want a spray de-tangler, you can put a bit of body lotion in a spray bottle with water, and shake well.

 

[Tomtommom]

My hair is not donation worthy. I don't get it cut often enough. By the time I decide it's time to cut it, it's because of the massive amount of frizz and split ends.

They did use my hair to soak up the oil after the BP spill. The stuff they sweep up at salons can be put into big pantyhose like tubes and apparently it soaks up oil like nothing else. Makes sense!

 

[LindaB220]

Okay, all of your Porch Perchers in the path or vicinity of Arthur - keep an eye on the sky, have your supplies on hand, and keep us posted as you can about what's going on in your neighborhoods! I worry - that's my job and I'm good at it!

Katie's hair before yesterday:



Katie's hair yesterday:



I know women (and a few men) who have paid a fortune to get those curls! She fights them tooth and nail! The lady who cut it yesterday kept commenting on how thick it is....and was giggling because the more she cut off the curlier it got! These pictures were taken after a liberal dose of Curl Control. Ah, Bug, you are so doggone cute I can't stand it!

Katie is getting so pretty. I like the sleek new look. Kudos Katie.

 

[bruceha2000]

She's a back sleeper, totally. She tosses her head from side to side and moves her arms and legs all over the place in her sleep, but I have never looked in on her and not seen her on her back. That doesn't help the tangle situation, and it's always the back of her hair.

Probably thought of and tried LONG ago, but my wife and older daughter both braid their hair before they go to bed so it isn't all tangled in the morning.

So, when you have a BYC expert tell you that it takes a chicken 25 hours to produce and lay an egg, that expert hasn't met our chickens, and certainly hasn't taken the time to explain this fact to our chickens!

AIN'T IT THE TRUTH! That 'fact' was stated over on the "what time do chickens lay?" thread. I know MY chickens didn't read that because every 25 hours is about as opposite as you can get from my girls. Some might have a progress like that starting with an early egg then getting later in subsequent days but if there are 12 hours of sun, you should get 12 eggs before the girl takes a break, right? I have some that will lay 2 or 3 days, then take a day or 2 off. The same girl might lay 13, 14 days straight, then take 2 days off then back to the other pattern. Nope, no "egg every 25 hours" in MY coop.

Bruce