hens are shrugging

[takeo808]

Having never had chickens before, it kind of startled me. I was, I'm kind of embarrassed to say, scared that the chicken was going to "attack" me. I keep hearing about a hen turning into (taking on) a rooster's role, if there are no roosters in the flock. The more I think about it, the hen did growl and stamp her feet. Of the three hens, this one is the "butch" of the bunch.

 

[takeo808]

I guess everyone who thought that the chickens were ready for love (ready to mate and lay) were right. I got my first egg the other day from the chicken that was shrugging. Then one of the other chickens started shrugging, and low and behold, I've got two laying chickens now. I get two eggs almost every day.

But, I went out this morning and saw yolk and whites in the nest box. No sign of a broken shell. Do the chickens eat all the shell? I did not see any of the shell. I have heard that sometimes when the chickens are first laying, one of the weird things that might happen is an egg that comes out without a shell. I'm just hoping that I do not have an egg eater!

 

[seminolewind]

Someone may have laid a shell-less egg. Just keep an eye on it. Oh, and when hens do "the squat", pick them up and cuddle them. They really like it.

 

[takeo808]

I've gotten three eggs since the "shell less" one. I've held the eggs out to the hens and no one seems very interested in them. I will try to pick them up the next time they do that...not that I know what they are doing. The stomping of the feet kind of threw me off (read: scared me).