Another one of our girls joined the "layers" club today. We think the culprit is a Cuckoo Maran who will be 24 weeks on Wednesday. She had been sitting in the nest box for the last week, and yesterday, made such a production I thought for sure I would find an egg there in the nest, but it was empty. I wasn't too worried, because I thought she just needed another day. Well, today she did lay an egg, but it was on the floor, and not in the nest box. My instinct tells me she got out of the nest box too soon and the egg sort of fell out of her onto the floor. Should I give her another try tomorrow or act now to prevent this in the future? Our other girl who is laying laid her first egg in the nest box and every egg since then has been in the box so I don't have any experience with this.
UPDATE: I was at home all morning today, so I heard Agnes (Cuckoo Maran) squawking and clucking around 10:30. I waited a bit, and then went outside to peek in the coop window to see if she was in the nest box and she was!!! I went back inside and patiently waited for her to lay. My other layer was also in one of the other nest boxes. Agnes was in for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Then she came out squawking and clucking again. I grabbed the camera to photograph our first (well second) egg from Agnes, but when I opened the door on the nest boxes, there was only one egg (from Annabelle). I went in the coop to see if she laid on the floor again. NOPE. Then I looked around and saw her egg out in the run. I guess she thought she had laid but it didn't come out until she starting moving around. Oh well! I scrambled the eggs and fed them back to the girls. Maybe the third time is the charm?
UPDATE: I was at home all morning today, so I heard Agnes (Cuckoo Maran) squawking and clucking around 10:30. I waited a bit, and then went outside to peek in the coop window to see if she was in the nest box and she was!!! I went back inside and patiently waited for her to lay. My other layer was also in one of the other nest boxes. Agnes was in for about 1 and 1/2 hours. Then she came out squawking and clucking again. I grabbed the camera to photograph our first (well second) egg from Agnes, but when I opened the door on the nest boxes, there was only one egg (from Annabelle). I went in the coop to see if she laid on the floor again. NOPE. Then I looked around and saw her egg out in the run. I guess she thought she had laid but it didn't come out until she starting moving around. Oh well! I scrambled the eggs and fed them back to the girls. Maybe the third time is the charm?
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