Eggs in strange places!

[newchickgal]

Our neighbors chicken free range on our property, which is fine with us. But here's some strange things that have been going on. I always try to keep a look out for an egg here and there, one day I found a pile of eggs in one of their (semi usual) spots. I counted one dozen! Now how could that happen? It's a place within easy viewing and I know it couldn't have been just one hen that did that, not that many eggs. So do they share nests or what? Also, I had to move my washing machine to clean out the back filter (the machine is fairly lightwght) and there was a pipped egg, just the empty shell. Now how did that get there between the wall and the washing machine? The machine is on my open back porch. Then finally, one of the girls has been getting on top of the old outhouse. We knew she's been thinking about leaving an egg there, and today she did. Thanks, that's a bit of a reach for me! DH will have to get that one for me.

 

[bgelber]

They share a nest. Three of my silkies will stay in the nest while the bigger birds lay then pull the eggs under them.

As for strange places I have one that loves to lay under my husbands grill and another that loves to lay under my picnic table.

 

[chuckzoo]

When I was younger we were play-camping out in the back yard and one hen laid under the tent! When we took it up there was a nest will 6 eggs in it!

 

[gryeyes]

One of my girls got out of the run and went Free Ranging. Whilst out, and not being able to figger out how to get back IN, she laid an egg in the grass close to the gate into the run. I didn't find where she had gotten out, but she was waiting by the gate to go back IN when I came home from work.

The next day, she was out again. This time she laid her egg in a little nest of grass she made under the Adirondack chair. Again, she was waiting at the gate to go back in.

I found where she'd been slipping out and fixed that spot.

Of course, now I want to try actual Free Ranging this weekend, so I'm thinking if I want to simply leave the gate to the run open, or make another opening closer to the coop.... so they can get back in by themselves.

Three of the 8 laying hens decided they wanted to lay their eggs in the duck house. That's okay; the ducks aren't using it!