Two girls laying that is. Red has now gone broody too so we only have Gold and Storm laying. I am sure there has never been a previous year where we have had so few girls laying for such a lot of the time. It seems like we have a never ending stream of broodies this year. Red has laid eight eggs in twelve days. She is matching Sugar’s record.
Red is also more determined than the rest of the girls. I close the nest boxes and shed after the two laying girls have laid and Red will sit on top of a nest box.
I am finding this a bit exasperating at the moment. Snow has now come out of her broody spell so hopefully she will start laying in around a week’s time.
Edit
Today I could tell that Gold wanted to lay so I opened her favourite nest box by the gate. The next time I went to check the three broody girls had piled in with her.
It’s as if they have a sixth sense and somehow know there is a nest box open!
Click here to see the history of my flock.
That is a brilliant photo. Odd behaviour from the ‘twins’.
They did the same thing last year. They are so in tune that they go broody together and then Mango sits on Cloud which drives me crazy. As it happened last year and again this year I am expecting it to happen every year. It’s not so bad when Mango sits on the back end of Cloud but sometimes she sits on Clouds head which I really don’t like. Cloud just accepts it because it’s her buddy and everything they do together is fine by them. It makes me determined to stop it as soon as possible. I will keep on locking them out unless the laying girls need to lay and even then I just keep lifting them out.
I agree it is a lovely picture of them together in the nest box.
All this broodiness makes for great photos but at the same time it’s driving me to distraction. Richard says it shows how well they get on that they are willing to share a nest box.