Edna May was the first of my new flock of 4 pullets to lay. She seemed to be practicing for the job for weeks and took the experience in stride . . . so to speak. Eggs 1 thru 5 were layed on the floor - oops! She has now layed most mornings for nearly 3 weeks.
Spring chicken came along next. Always a complainer, she was practically unbearable the day of the first egg. Edna stayed right with Spring, however. The next morning, I looked in the coop and didn't see either one of them. I found them in the pre-dawn darkness, roosting outside.
Spring layed an egg that day, also. The next morning I thought she was again missing. Not inside on the roost, not outside . . . I went back to look in the coop again and there she was - pushed into a corner of the roost with Edna in front of her. Things got back to normal after that.
Today, Olivia layed her first egg at 24 weeks of age. She was cackling outdoors before the egg showed up. This was the first time I'd ever heard Olivia cackle. An hour later or so, I thought I heard her again and went out to check. No, it was Yvonne making all the noise. Yvonne has never layed an egg nor is she a noisy chicken. Olivia was inside - on the nest.
I went back about an hour later and looked in the nest box. All I could see was "chicken!!" Edna & Spring got out of the box immediately when they saw that I'd brought a cookie. Pushed into the corner was Olivia, standing over her new egg. I didn't know that 3 chickens could even get into that box!
Olivia didn't come out for the cookie. I think I'll take her a piece of cheese later . . . may as well give the 4 of them a piece of cheese since today was all about Team Work!
Steve
Spring chicken came along next. Always a complainer, she was practically unbearable the day of the first egg. Edna stayed right with Spring, however. The next morning, I looked in the coop and didn't see either one of them. I found them in the pre-dawn darkness, roosting outside.
Spring layed an egg that day, also. The next morning I thought she was again missing. Not inside on the roost, not outside . . . I went back to look in the coop again and there she was - pushed into a corner of the roost with Edna in front of her. Things got back to normal after that.
Today, Olivia layed her first egg at 24 weeks of age. She was cackling outdoors before the egg showed up. This was the first time I'd ever heard Olivia cackle. An hour later or so, I thought I heard her again and went out to check. No, it was Yvonne making all the noise. Yvonne has never layed an egg nor is she a noisy chicken. Olivia was inside - on the nest.
I went back about an hour later and looked in the nest box. All I could see was "chicken!!" Edna & Spring got out of the box immediately when they saw that I'd brought a cookie. Pushed into the corner was Olivia, standing over her new egg. I didn't know that 3 chickens could even get into that box!
Olivia didn't come out for the cookie. I think I'll take her a piece of cheese later . . . may as well give the 4 of them a piece of cheese since today was all about Team Work!
