Okay, I am just feeling really weird about this. I've been trying to actually watch an egg being laid for over a year now, and I've never actually seen it happen. Sure, I've seen plenty of girls on nest boxes, but when I camp out and watch...I never see it happen.
So yesterday at 5:30 p.m. (after work) I go out to my juvenile pen, where there are several that should begin laying any day now. I've got a Welsummer who laid her first 2 eggs, both out in the run (yes, I've got nice nest boxes ready for them with golf balls & everything), and I was expecting her to lay again yesterday. So, I look in nest boxes, nothing. Go out to the run, go on into the run to look around in there, and she's standing right in the middle of the run next to the waterer (where she laid Monday's egg). I look at her, she stand up, and "plop" lays her egg. Same spot. She turns & looks at it, and walks away as if nothing happened! Her 3rd egg, you'd think she'd be sqwauking or singing the egg laying song - NOPE! It was weird.
So then, 5 mins. later, I go to the big girl's run to collect eggs. I see one hen walking funny...eyes kinda half shut, looking like she's not feeling well. Walking real slow. All of a sudden, "plop" she lays a soft-shelled egg, out in the run! I ran over to pick it up before someone broke it open. WEIRD!
THEN, I went home for lunch today (I've got a sick pullet that I've been hand feeding) to feed my sick one, and I go into the big girl's run to collect eggs. I collect the first one, then notice Dixie is in a nest box. So I walk over and flip the nest box door open to look at her - she stand up, and "plop" lays her egg! Again, no sqwauking, no egg song, nothing.
I'm just feeling really, really weird about all this. Do you think anything could be wrong, or are these 3 instances just a really odd coincidence?
So yesterday at 5:30 p.m. (after work) I go out to my juvenile pen, where there are several that should begin laying any day now. I've got a Welsummer who laid her first 2 eggs, both out in the run (yes, I've got nice nest boxes ready for them with golf balls & everything), and I was expecting her to lay again yesterday. So, I look in nest boxes, nothing. Go out to the run, go on into the run to look around in there, and she's standing right in the middle of the run next to the waterer (where she laid Monday's egg). I look at her, she stand up, and "plop" lays her egg. Same spot. She turns & looks at it, and walks away as if nothing happened! Her 3rd egg, you'd think she'd be sqwauking or singing the egg laying song - NOPE! It was weird.
So then, 5 mins. later, I go to the big girl's run to collect eggs. I see one hen walking funny...eyes kinda half shut, looking like she's not feeling well. Walking real slow. All of a sudden, "plop" she lays a soft-shelled egg, out in the run! I ran over to pick it up before someone broke it open. WEIRD!
THEN, I went home for lunch today (I've got a sick pullet that I've been hand feeding) to feed my sick one, and I go into the big girl's run to collect eggs. I collect the first one, then notice Dixie is in a nest box. So I walk over and flip the nest box door open to look at her - she stand up, and "plop" lays her egg! Again, no sqwauking, no egg song, nothing.
I'm just feeling really, really weird about all this. Do you think anything could be wrong, or are these 3 instances just a really odd coincidence?
