Must be the sunshine? After not getting ANY eggs for the past 10 days since Whitey went broody, Mimi the barnie gave us her first egg 2 days ago, then yesterday Harper, the Ameraucana fussed and fretted and gave us
her first egg! She was like Goldilocks jumping from one nest box to another, trying out all three as this nest was too hard, this one not enough straw, etc. Eventually I found her settled in the middle nest with her little Ameraucana sister snuggled in tightly next to her in the same box. Was she comforting Harper? Lending moral support? Or just learning close up what would be in store for her when she began laying in a couple of months?
This morning we also found another pretty egg from Mimi which was thankfully, larger than the first. And in other good news, Whitey is apparently done being broody! We had stuck her in a wire cage in the coop for a day. Yesterday I let her into the run and then guarded the nest box for the next hour while I worked outside, preventing her from getting back in. Later that afternoon I saw she had dug herself a nice cool hole to bathe in while her she soaked up some rays from a small sliver of sun on her face. Today, no more broody hen, although she is still as bossy as ever.
Oh, As The Coop Turns - these girls are endlessly entertaining.
Chicks are over 3 weeks old now. I'm going to have to find someplace new for them. They are outgrowing that brooder that seemed HUGE when I first put them in there! I'm looking at the bunny cage now. That could work for probably 3 days at the rate they're growing. Wishing I had a bigger grow out pen now!
Here's a couple of pics of Harper's beautiful egg - I am so pleased with her.
