Well, I had a busy day. Went out to setup the coop and run separation for the arrival of 4 new pullets (tapping fingers, waiting, waiting). But there's a Barred Rock in the nesting box, so I quietly exit and wait for the new arrival. Pullet gets off the nest, excitedly does a little egg song, then leaves. Oh goody! I go peek in nest, it looks empty. I stick hand in just in case and lo and behold there's this nice round thing there. I pull it out to find the pullet had pulled one of the golf balls in. No egg. Resignedly I go out of the run to get the stakes and chicken wire to separate the coop. I head back in...........and there's the OTHER Barred Rock in the nest. So I spent from about 7 am til about noon watching the 2 barred rocks take turns sitting on the nest fr 30-40 minutes each time. One goes in, stays, leaves, the other goes in, stays leaves, but never an egg.
OK, too much excitement for me. By now I've lost interest in separating the coop/run, I'll do it tomorrow. I fix lunch, then about 1:30 Dennahrl comes over to get the linoleum I had, spent a little time with her and her two beautiful girls. After she left, I got my second wind, and there were no pullets in the coop, but they made their nest hole about 50% larger, so I went in to put in my separator. Took out the food storage bins I have in there to give the new birds more room, pounded in 4 stakes to hold up the chicken wire. Now I just have one problem. I've got to get the new guys some shade. I only have one area in my run that gets shade during the heat of the day, and it's in a corner under my house, not shareable by two flocks. It's a great spot, open into the run and also open (with wire) onto my patio so that I can sit and watch the girls do all their dust bathing. Here it is:
Wait a minute, WHAT'S THAT. THERE, in the upper left corner. Hold on I'll get a better shot.
Little SNOTS! I hope they don't make this a habit. Just for comparison (these are large egg girls so I know they will get bigger) here it is against a store bought large egg.
Looks like your girls are of the same mindset as mine! My bantams NEVER lay in the nest box, always under the coop. Well, unless one is broody, then they go into the coop to lay.
Maybe yours will grow out of it.
