Whose eggs are they anyway?

[Cutiepie29]

So, I have two chickens, both buff orphingtons that were re-homed to me about 2 months apart this summer when they were the only survivors of their individual flocks being attacked by predators. They get along very well and are usually within a couple feet of each other in the yard during the day. They had been occupying nesting boxes on opposite sides of the henhouse and so we knew which eggs were lain by which chicken, but this past week, all the eggs have been in Butterscotch's box.

Butterscotch is about 30 months old and has been a very consistent layer, one per day, only skipping a few days when it was extremely hot (second week of July) and surprising us with two eggs on the day that the temperature dropped back down and then occasionally again since then.

Marmalade is about 18 months old and has been much more hit-and-miss on laying. She was quite a bit smaller than Butterscotch when we got her, but she's been catching up in size (she was the bottom of the pecking order before, apparently, which probably kept her from feeding). Five days without any eggs in her box had me thinking she was probably getting ready to molt, but there's not been any loose feathers yet, and then this morning there were three eggs in Butterscotch's box.

As I said, Butterscotch has been observed to lay two eggs in a single day but never three, so I wonder if maybe Marmalade has been laying in the same box as Butterscotch? Any thoughts? Or am I overthinking things?

Also, I've seen several people mention weighing the eggs that they've collected. Is that something I ought to do, and why?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

My guess is that yes Marmalade and Butterscotch are laying in the same box, and I'm surprised they haven't always done so.

As far as weighing eggs, my reason for sometimes weighing eggs is because I sell eggs. All sizes except jumbo eggs fit into the same carton, but jumbo eggs only fit into a jumbo carton. I weigh eggs when I'm not sure if they are jumbo (over 70 grams) or only extra large. Others probably have various other reasons.

 

[Cutiepie29]

Ah, thanks for the info about weighing the eggs. Since we use all of our eggs and never try to sell them, not something I need to bother with.

And I'm going to take it as a good sign that the girls seem to be using the same nest now. I worried that there'd be conflict between them, but I only saw Butterscotch give Marmalade a single peck on the day they were introduced and now they act like they've always been together.

I've had people suggest that I need to expand my flock since chickens are social animals, and maybe I'll get an additional pair of chicks in the spring, but I'm content with my fluffy babes as we are.