Wishful thinking?

[Amanita]

I need some advice since I'm going back and forth and can't come to a conclusion...
Our flock will be four months old in about two weeks. They are all Marans. I was expecting eggs in maybe early April. When we were putting the chickens to bed tonight, we found an egg lying in the run! My first thought was to be delighted at our first egg, but then I was suspicious since it was so soon, although a couple of the girls have had noticeable comb growth recently and are looking more red in the face. I tried the float test and it floated very high, so the conclusion would be that it's an old egg, right? Except, how on earth did an old egg get into the run? We don't have any others that could have laid it previously. There's maybe a very slim outside chance that somehow it was thrown into the compost last summer, but that seems odd also. Any way I can settle this for sure?

 

[CCUK]

Has some pranked you?

 

[CCUK]

I have a 6 month old marans and she hasn't started laying yet. I think she is waiting for spring.

 

[duluthralphie]

Was it a full size egg? Do you have a picture?

I suspect someone is pulling your leg.

 

[Amanita]

Definitely not a prank, we live in the middle of nowhere and my husband wouldn't be bothered to do something like that.
I guess it was one that had been thrown out previously - when I found it it just smelled like mud but after it dried off a bit there was a bad egg shell coming through. Still mystified as to how it ended up where it did!
Tbh I'm also a bit relieved, we're not quite prepared in the nest box area just yet, we're counting on at least a few more weeks to get things finished off.

 

[CCUK]

They will lay when there ready! The weather has a lot to do with it.