Mystery egg layer or good producing chicken?

[FrozenWings]

I love a good mystery! Can you solve mine? I have (6) hens all of which are within (6) weeks of one another. The oldest bird was born in late April. The youngest bird started laying first on the 7th of January (Brahma). She lays consistently 5 eggs a week until...

Two week ago I found two eggs in the nest (see below), on which was very cold and the other warm. Since I had found them about 14:00 I figured that she had laid one in the morning and one in the real close to when I had checked the nests. She had not laid the day before so I blew it off as a bonus egg. The next week the exact same thing happened again in fact my egg pattern for the past two weeks has been...

Sunday - No eggs
Monday- 2 eggs (picture below one different in color and size)
Tuesday - 1 egg (snow)
Wednesday - No egg
Thursday - 1 egg
Friday - 1 egg
Saturday - No eggs
Sunday - 1 egg
Monday - 1 egg
Tuesday - No eggs (snow)
Wednesday - 2 eggs (one lighter in color same size)
Thursday - 1 egg
Friday - 2 eggs

Do I have a second egg layer in my flock? The weather has been like Cybil here (warm then freezing). I have (8) lay boxes, only two of which have been nested. One outside and one inside the coop, both of which I have seen the Brahma nesting on. I have not seen any other of my birds nesting. This weekend I can hopefully find another bird nesting or find the eggs closer to the time they were laid. I will keep you posted.

-Frozen Wings

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

One of those eggs is much smaller than the other, which makes me think you have someone else laying. They start out small and get bigger, never heard of it going the other way around

Sounds like its time to stake out the nest boxes!

 

[FrozenWings]

One of those eggs is much smaller than the other, which makes me think you have someone else laying. They start out small and get bigger, never heard of it going the other way around

Sounds like its time to stake out the nest boxes!

So, there is no relationship to the size of eggs and how close in time they were laid? If this is the case I believe you are right, as the second egg that was discovered was bigger than the one discovered the week before. But why am I only getting (1) egg per week from my second bird? Could the weather effect breeds or individual birds differently? That would be fascinating to discover, as it seems most believe that either the shorten daylight hours and cold weather have an effect on egg laying or not. Obviously it would be a theory that needs more testing, but are certain breeds more dependent in winter months for egg laying?

I use no artificial light or heat and I have (6) different breeds of birds... I know for a fact my Brahama has produced the majority of my eggs. Everyday about the same time I can find her on one of the nesting boxes. By your post, which I agree, leads me to believe I have an egg layer that is a slow producer at this point with shorten days. I will keep an eye out for the second egg layer.

-Frozen Wings

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

The smaller of the two looks like a pullet egg to me. I think you have two birds laying.

 

[FrozenWings]

Mystery solved... I caught my Buff Orpington in the nesting box this morning. An hour later I checked again, (1) egg. It is about the size of the other laying bird's eggs now too and is becoming regular in laying time just about everyday now for (4) days.

-Frozen WIngs

 

[FrozenWings]

So in a matter of a few days I went from (1) egg layer to what I believe to be (4) egg layers. I imagine within days I should be getting eggs from all (6) birds. Today I was making owlets with my new eggs and I discovered to be what I thought a fertile egg. One problem is that I don't think I have a rooster. None of the birds have been crowing nor have I seen any birds on top of one another. Maybe I am misidentifying the egg as fertile (top left).



-Frozen Wings