It took me a while to figure out, but I have solved my chicken egg dilemma. As my previous post mentioned I kept finding eggs cracked like the one in the above photo or completely smashed. I thought I had a hen who took it upon herself to have breakfast.
My first suspect was my hen who didn't act like the others. I put her in the green house overnight. In the morning there were still broken eggs laying on the floor. It must not be here. When I let her out of the greenhouse she hurried into the hen house to lay her egg in the nest box. Some other bird is the rotten egg. Or so I thought. Next night the fluffy hen got her turn in the hen house. She did not like it. In the morning, when I inspected the hen house I discovered that their were no broken eggs and her egg lay smashed to pieces in the green house. Aha, I thought, I have my bird.
I hurried into the basement and got my big pot and filled it with water and put it on the stove. I sharpened the knife and got the trash can that I put them in after I take off their heads. I picked up the fluffy chicken and just when I was about to do the deed, I felt a little check on my spirit. Maybe I should give it another night. Maybe I should give her another chance. Maybe Jo and Eric would want a pet chicken. I just didn't want to kill and eat this bird.
I decided to just let it be for now and I spent my time cleaning out their house and putting lots of fresh shavings in the nest boxes and then on the floor of the hen house too.
Next morning I discovered 4 unbroken eggs laying in the deep shavings under the roosts. There was another egg in the nest box, unbroken as well. Hmmm. A flash of insight and I realized that my hens were laying their eggs from the roost. So weird. I googled it and discovered that sometimes hens get their clocks off and lay at night when it is too dark to navigate to the nest box. The only hen on schedule was my friendly hen. I was glad that this mystery did not end in bloodshed.
Hopefully, their internal clocks will get back on schedule soon, but until then I just keep the shavings deep. Bomb away birds.
Shucks. Sounds like you missed out on a chicken dinner.
ReplyDeleteDan
Yeah silly birds, LOL. Do you have a light on in the coop, it has to be pretty strong, and on for 16 hours to keep them laying.
ReplyDeleteSo you weren't the only one in the dark. ;)
ReplyDeleteMaybe a very small night light? Just enough to let them find their way?
Bill
So glad this turned out well, and what pretty eggs you get! I love the color. I have been watching a half dozen chickens for our neighbor off-and-on this fall (she gets called away for a week or two at a time) and am surprised at how attached you can become to chickens, especially when they respond to your voice. It has actually been an enlightening experience.
ReplyDeleteBionic Cowgirl