The day before yesterday we had our first egg of the year. I thought that as it was so tiny it must be Freckles egg.
This morning for our Sunday breakfast we had the last two shop bought eggs plus the small egg, half each. Once in the pan the yolk was a similar size to the medium sized shop bought eggs but the white was really tiny.
The first egg of the year in the front of the frying pan
Today Barley went into the nest box and I realised that I had probably made a mistake.
Barley is in the nest box
Emerald and Speckles come to have a look
Peaches comes to have a look
There is a bit of a meeting about it
After the other girls dispersed Barley settled into the nest box. When I returned about five minutes later she was outside the nest box pecking at a bit of apple and there was a warm egg in the nest box. All the other girls were perched in the run so there was no doubt that this was Barley’s egg. She was so quick that it’s not surprising I didn’t catch her in the nest box the other day.
Because we ate the other eggs for breakfast we now don’t have any eggs to compare the size with but we both think that this one is a bit bigger than the last one. She must have just laid an extra small egg as her first one. I photographed it in the egg stand as the best comparison I could make.
Second egg of the year
First egg of the year
The first photo is today’s egg and the photo above is from the day before yesterday. We definitely think today’s egg is a bit bigger.
Well done Barley! I feel a bit silly now for assuming it was Freckles but it was so small. Barley seems to be starting to lay a bit earlier each year which is a bonus. Last year Peaches started two weeks later and her comb isn’t as red as Barley’s comb so I imagine it will be a few more weeks yet.
Hurrah for the start of the egg laying but we will still have to wait a bit longer for the little girls to start.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Love the way they all have to have a look.
They are soooo nosy! That’s why I couldn’t tell for sure who’s egg it was two days ago. All the girls were looking in the nest box. Chickens are the most nosy of creatures. It does make them very amusing though.
Understandable error – from the images on the site I, too, thought that Freckles looked in very good condition. But well done to Barley – you;d expect Peaches to follow in a couple of weeks?
My research of seramas says that they lay early, five months sometimes rather than six months. Mine are eight months so what is going on! Freckles looks ready. Still as you say it’s well done Barley. Peaches is usually two weeks behind Barley and her comb is not completely red yet so I anticipate another two weeks.