Butterscotch missed laying an egg yesterday and as regular as clockwork, she laid her egg this morning, before it was light enough for the automatic door to open.
Alas, this time the egg was cracked. I must try to remember that if she misses a day I must thicken up the layer of shavings under her bedtime roost position.
I decided to add a couple of shop bought eggs to her egg and scramble them for the girls as a treat. I scramble them in a little olive oil and water and when I broke the eggs into the pan I was surprised that Butterscotch’s smaller egg actually had a larger yolk than the bigger, medium sized, shop bought eggs. No wonder we prefer our girl’s lovely eggs!
This is the very favourite treat of all treats and I only managed to get the few photos below as it was gone in no time. Unfortunately it goes so quickly that this is the one treat that I have real difficulty in managing to give Speckles a share.
I dished it up into four small bowls and kept a fourth one back to try to give to Speckles. I would drop some blobs in front of her but the other girls would sweep in and take it from her. I managed to get her to have one small bit before the lot was hoovered up.
All the girls rush to the egg except for nervous Speckles
They love the egg and are super speedy at demolishing it
Speckles would really like to get a look in., she is hovering just behind the patio
Speckles after she had had her one peck at some egg
She managed one beak full but by the time I clicked the camera she was already on her way. I have used every photo that I managed to take during this speedy downing of the egg. It was all gone in moments. At least Butterscotch’s egg didn’t go to waste. She is a star!
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Could you shut Speckles into a bit on her own for 5 minutes so she could have some? I make sure my bottom girl gets treats by hand feeding her but I’m guessing Speckles won’t let you
It’s a faff shutting one off and mostly I just make sure she gets her share. Most of the time when they tire of the treat she goes back and gets her share. If it’s corn or such like I throw it all over and make sure she gets her share. It is only the odd treat like egg that is only now and again any way that she just can’t get to quick enough. Mostly she does get her share but this is just such an occasional thing that I try for her but sometimes she is just too nervous. In the past I have helped the the under chicks but when I try to help her she is also nervous of me so will shy away and miss her chance. (As you say she won’t take hand feeding like others have done in the past). With Emerald I got her used to me sneaking her a bit while the rest were otherwise engaged but with Speckles I try this and she is also nervous of me too so it’s more tricky to help her. I think they all get enough in the end though. I do my best and am sure she is doing okay.
I think that the ratio of yolk to white in bantam eggs is bigger than in large-fowl eggs; I’m pleased the girls got the benefit – I always find it frustrating when an egg is lost. We had only one egg today – Dart – who decided to lay at the entrance to the coop, as BigSil has gone broody again and must have been on the nest Dart would have liked. I’m amazed it was neither broken nor dirty, given the number of feet which must have passed over it in the course of the day!
I think you are right about the ratio of yolk to white in bantam eggs and that is what makes our bantam eggs so extra special. It is frustrating at this time of year with few eggs to lose one but if it can be fed back to the girls that makes it better. Dart is still amazing and her egg surviving is better still. We each have our special girl that gives us eggs at a time when we would expect next to nothing. They are precious. Bantams are so precious and special but we are probably, rightly, biased!