Hazel explores the Laundry
Chickens are surely one of the most amusing creatures. This afternoon I had a visit at the back door from Hazel (with the red tag). She was clucking and standing on the back step and when I opened the door to say hello she came straight inside! After surveying the kitchen and the laundry she got a fixation with the shoe rack. Her behaviour made me think she wanted to lay an egg, but then she decided to head back outside with the other girls.
Not long after I walked outside, I had 6 hens following me around the garden, so I got them some grain and took them back to their pen. Clucky Hazel didn't want to come inside, and then spent some time walking up and down the fence wanting to come back out. Her behaviour made me think she may have laid an egg somewhere in the yard and wanted to go back to that "nest", but we haven't been able to find one.
Soon she started heading in and out of the coop and I peeked inside to see her hopping in and out of each nest box. She was scraping the straw aside down to the bare wood, so I got her some more and straightened out the boxes thinking she didn't have enough to make a nice nest. That got kicked out and pushed aside as well!
Hazel chooses a nesting box
I watched as she finally settled into a nest box and the other girls filed in to offer support. Harriet actually took a snooze next to her on the floor during her egg laying ordeal. I had been taking a couple of photos and videos and I noticed her stand up, so I pressed record and was surprised when I heard an audible *clunk* and realised I'd captured her egg laying. Listen out for the clunk at about the 6 second mark. She pushed aside too much straw and broke her beautiful egg when she laid it.
Hear the Egg Break
So now we know that Hazel is definitely laying eggs. I don't think she is the only one. We had one egg this morning as well, so that makes two for today!
3 comments:
We got two eggs yesterday! We know that our Rhode Island Red has begun laying...watched her today. But we're not sure who number two is.
wow, that really was a loud thunk! Poor Hazel. Hens are all so different. My Ester goes in, quietly does her business, no drama, and she's done in a few minutes. Beulah is FAR more dramatic, and what's really hilarious is when she needs to lay when Ester is doing her business. Even though I have multiple nesting boxes, it HAS to be the one Ester is in. From a distance, it sounds like there's chicken murder going down.
Dana - That is fantastic! We have a similar problem... We don't know how many chickens are laying but we get 1 egg almost every day. I think it is at least 2 girls, and we know Hazel is one of them now.
Ester's Feathers - Every other time I've found an egg it has been carefully perched on the straw in a beautiful full nest. I don't know what Hazel's problem was, but she was very quiet about it. I can't wait to hear some egg singing! We have 2 nest boxes and I've had eggs in both, but most commonly in the one nearest to the door. They really do all have their own little personalities don't they!
Post a Comment