I was half asleep when I gathered early eggs this morning. Hmm, I thought... Bernadette (Cuckoo Marans) is laying again. Nice dark egg. *yawn* And I put it and the white one laid in the same nest box into the fridge with the rest o' the eggs.
A few hours later, I checked the "Alternate Hidden Nest" - which is a covered cat litter box I filled with pine shavings and left on the back porch for any sneaky pullets who might want to lay someplace other than a nest box in the coops. And it's been working!
Two eggs in there, the usual from one of the Lakenvelders (the other lays in the nestbox) and a nice green one from Rebecca. For the past three days. And one from the SLW and the BSL, Lacey and Greta, respectively.
Just a few minutes ago, I glanced in the "Alternate Hidden Nest" and by golly, looks like an egg is half buried in the pine shavings back there. Humming, I reached in and picked it up - it was a banty egg!! It's got to be Ellen's! She's 18 weeks old now, maybe 19 weeks; the other bantam pullet anywhere near her age is only 13 weeks old. And Ellen did sort of squat for me yesterday... Ellen is a lavender cochin and Lola, the younger bantam pullet, is a black cochin.
So I rushed into the house with it to put it in the egg flat in the fridge and suddenly noticed that dark egg I'd put in there earlier was REALLY dark. Double-checking it, I now realize Shirley the Welsummer has started laying! And *embarrassed expression* there's another one in the egg flat! TWO days she's been laying!! And Ellen, today!!!!
Rhoda, the RIR and Betsy, the BR are next, as they're the same age as Ellen and Shirley.
Here's the size and color comparison to one of Rebecca's green eggs and one of Minerva or Millicent's eggs.
A few hours later, I checked the "Alternate Hidden Nest" - which is a covered cat litter box I filled with pine shavings and left on the back porch for any sneaky pullets who might want to lay someplace other than a nest box in the coops. And it's been working!
Two eggs in there, the usual from one of the Lakenvelders (the other lays in the nestbox) and a nice green one from Rebecca. For the past three days. And one from the SLW and the BSL, Lacey and Greta, respectively.
Just a few minutes ago, I glanced in the "Alternate Hidden Nest" and by golly, looks like an egg is half buried in the pine shavings back there. Humming, I reached in and picked it up - it was a banty egg!! It's got to be Ellen's! She's 18 weeks old now, maybe 19 weeks; the other bantam pullet anywhere near her age is only 13 weeks old. And Ellen did sort of squat for me yesterday... Ellen is a lavender cochin and Lola, the younger bantam pullet, is a black cochin.
So I rushed into the house with it to put it in the egg flat in the fridge and suddenly noticed that dark egg I'd put in there earlier was REALLY dark. Double-checking it, I now realize Shirley the Welsummer has started laying! And *embarrassed expression* there's another one in the egg flat! TWO days she's been laying!! And Ellen, today!!!!
Rhoda, the RIR and Betsy, the BR are next, as they're the same age as Ellen and Shirley.
Here's the size and color comparison to one of Rebecca's green eggs and one of Minerva or Millicent's eggs.
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