Yesterday morning there was a lot of shouting about who was going in the nest box. I couldn’t understand how it had been so harmonious on the last two occasions when the girls shared the nest box and why it was so unsettled this time. On checking it out I found four girls missing from the original flock. I checked the nest box.
Now four probably is a crowd!
Poor little Freckles looks a bit squashed again but as usual this little girl is not moving.
I think Peaches is just being nosy
Emerald and Freckles had both laid two days before so I knew they were due to lay. Speckles last laid two weeks ago and had been looking in the nest box the previous day so I knew she was ready to lay too. Peaches laid two days before and is only laying about once a week at the moment so I knew she was just being nosy. She loves to watch the girls in the nest box often much to their annoyance. This is what caused the shouting!
These three girls settled together once Peaches had retreated
Freckles sitting with three eggs again
When I heard the shout I checked again and only Freckles was still in the nest box. I lifted her and there were three eggs, one of them being hers. I lifted her out of the nest box. I always have the dread of her going broody but so far so good.
In the afternoon I mixed the girls for a couple of hours again.
Dandelion and Cinnamon made it to the patio
Once again the new girls made it to the patio while the other girls were dust bathing. There was some chasing around once more with Rusty being the worst offender but Peaches joining in as well.
Emerald and Barley in the “new” dust bath
Eventually the new girls ended up back at the top of the ladder so I decided that was enough. The trouble is once they retreat to the top of the ladder they don’t mix any more and it seems pointless to leave them there.
Cinnamon didn’t look stressed like she had the day before though so maybe that is a bit of an improvement. I sometimes wonder if these girls will ever be mixed!
Click here to see the history of my flock.
That’s soooo funny – it looks like Emerald is sat on Freckles! 🙂 x
It does look like Emerald is sat on Freckles but actually she had her head down and her tail up. Freckles is not moving though! x
Funny how they all want to use the same nest box.
They don’t have a choice at the moment because the second nest box is the new girl’s coop until I get them mixed. I didn’t expect them all to want to lay their eggs at the same time though. This afternoon when I mixed them Emerald went and laid her egg in the new girl’s coop.
So much happening – happy times.:)
It is a roller coaster at the moment. They drive me nuts but they make me smile too.