This was going to end badly.
I was surprised that Tap would risk it, but she wanted to lay her egg with her others. Can't really fault her on that front. I was expecting Fat Bird to whack her and she did. Tap didn't give up though. She teetered around the edge of the nest box until she found a space large enough to wedge herself in; not an easy thing to do with Fat Bird in the box, and finally dove into a promising looking space. She got pecked unsurprisingly. She just buried her head in a corner and waited for Fat Bird to give up. That went okay much to my surprise but then Tap decided she wanted her eggs as well which were under Fat Bird. The eggs went one way, then the other. I could hear the banging into each other like billiard balls.
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Two broke in one hit. I heard them go. Fat Bird knows a thing, or two about egg belly and abandoned ship. Tap started eating the broken eggs but her bum was hanging over the edge. It seems in her greed she had forgotten she was delivery further supplies and the egg plummeted to the floor. Of course it broke. That's three eggs broken now! Fat Bird who is on the floor now starts to eat the gravity assisted delivery.
Cillin who had been present at the start of the drama obviously looked at the two in the box and though, quite rightly imo, I don't want none of that and had headed off to the sheep shed with all but Treacle and the two participants. Bear in mind it's pissing down with rain so he must have seen a very unpleasant outcome.
Broken eggs are not something one can just leave in the house hoping they'll get better. They don't. They smell and they're sticky and chickens do not seem to mind the sensation of gooey egg on the soles of their feet. That's okay if they stood still and cleaned up, but they don't; they walk about with a bit of shell, or membrane hanging off their beaks and leave funny little three fingered patterns everywhere they go.
Did I mention it's pissing down with rain?
I evict everybody, Tap complaining bitterly that it wasn't fair and I just wanted all the egg for myself and Fat Bird appalled that I would chuck her out in the rain. Treacle is way out of depth on this one and hurried off to get into the maternity unit under cover.
I couldn't help thinking as I stood outside in the pissing rain stripping the nest box out that there was something terribly wrong here. Treacle observing from the shelter of the maternity unit and Fat Bird and Tap who had headed straight back in through the door as I headed out carrying the nest box now standing out of the rain just inside the doorway.
No, I didn't remember to take my camera out with me, and no I didn't get any pictures in the rain mainly because I need both hands to carry nest box, scrubbing brush and bleach!!
No I am not having a 'nice day', thank you for asking............
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