Salmon is getting ready to lay

Salmon laid one tiny, grape sized egg, on 17th January underneath her roost spot. Until recently she had shown no interest in the nest boxes but over the last few days she has become very vocal and has started investigating the nest boxes.

Yesterday she looked in the nest boxes from on top of them and then she went inside each one of them. After checking out all three she settled in the nest box nearest to the chicken shed. I thought she was going to lay as she was in there for about an hour.

Salmon came out of the nest box without laying an egg. It seems she was just practising as these little girls often do. I think she will probably lay her next egg over the next day or two.

Salmon has been looking in the nest boxes

Salmon tried all three nest boxes

Salmon eventually settled in the nest box nearest the chicken shed

Meanwhile I am still lifting Marmite from the nest box several times a day.

Marmite has a quick dust bath while Vanilla watches over her

Vanilla has a very red face and comb and I am surprised that she has shown no interest in the nest boxes as yet. Sienna hasn’t either but has been a bit more vocal recently so may be the next girl to start laying.

It is funny how Vanilla seemed to mature more quickly than the other amigos to the extent that with her honky sounding voice I worried at the time that she may have been a cockerel and yet she is the last to start laying.

I suppose different things mature at different rates for different girls. Vanilla was the first of the amigos to lose the baby cheeping sound  and yet she is the only one to show no interest in the nest boxes. Back then I would have put money on her being the first to start laying.

I guess she will get there in her own sweet time. There is certainly no lack of eggs for us at the moment so it doesn’t matter how long she takes.