Just when I had given up hope that my girls would ever start to lay before winter, my beautiful RIR hen Einstein starts acting really weird. She has been very squawky for days now, and squats and spreads her wings when I pet her. I call my BFF (who has had chickens for years) and she agrees that this is pre-egg laying behavior.
But today was different. She was very vocal all morning. Weird noises too. Then she almost hopped my stone wall, and was standing on top of it, almost crowing. Then she goes into the doghouse (she's never done that before) and walks around and SQUATS!! I panic, thinking she will lay an egg there!
So I run into the house and look for a cardboard box to use as a make-shift nesting box (we have been remodeling, and its soccer season, so we have neglected to make the nest boxes).
I come out with the molded plastic bathtub my now 10 year old used as a baby! I fill it with shavings, add a florescent orange golf ball, and put it in her coop. Well, she goes in it/ comes out a few times. I go back in the house, but can see her from the window walking around looking fretful.
Finally, I see her flutter into the coop (its a 2 story coop). I finish up what I am doing and go out after about 20 mins. I see her sitting in the bathtub!!
She looked much more relaxed. She sat there for nearly an hour, and when she finally stood up, I felt under her and felt a nice warm pullet egg!!
It was perfect!!!
edited for typos
But today was different. She was very vocal all morning. Weird noises too. Then she almost hopped my stone wall, and was standing on top of it, almost crowing. Then she goes into the doghouse (she's never done that before) and walks around and SQUATS!! I panic, thinking she will lay an egg there!
So I run into the house and look for a cardboard box to use as a make-shift nesting box (we have been remodeling, and its soccer season, so we have neglected to make the nest boxes).
I come out with the molded plastic bathtub my now 10 year old used as a baby! I fill it with shavings, add a florescent orange golf ball, and put it in her coop. Well, she goes in it/ comes out a few times. I go back in the house, but can see her from the window walking around looking fretful.
Finally, I see her flutter into the coop (its a 2 story coop). I finish up what I am doing and go out after about 20 mins. I see her sitting in the bathtub!!
She looked much more relaxed. She sat there for nearly an hour, and when she finally stood up, I felt under her and felt a nice warm pullet egg!!
It was perfect!!!
edited for typos
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