Since the girls have been mixed both Popcorn and Maple have followed the flock into the chicken shed each night. They usually settle together in the corner underneath the corner perch and I move them up to the perch each night. Just one night Maple made it up to the perch on her own. I thought it was progress but she hasn’t done it since then. I am sure they will perch themselves eventually.
The new girls are mixing really well now and I have put the run back to normal with the bit by the patio opened up again. Yesterday I removed the second feeding station from the bottom half of the run as they are coming up to the patio area now.
The only change I have made is that I have left the third nest box in position. I didn’t want it on the patio as it might tempt Mango and Cloud to sit on it at bedtime but I thought it might be useful to have an extra one.
Gold went broody again five days ago and has just come out of it today. She had laid thirteen eggs in nineteen days. Storm has gone broody today for the first time this year. She had laid twenty six eggs in three months.
Popcorn had laid three little eggs. The second one two days after the first then the third, one day after the last. Then this morning there were two soft shelled eggs under her roost spot despite her having laid yesterday.
I think that what has happened is that Popcorn produced a double yolk which sometimes happens with new layers but her system tried to put a shell round both yolks and didn’t have enough calcium for two shells. Luckily because her eggs are so small she didn’t have a problem laying them. She looked absolutely fine this morning.
Hopefully this is just a blip. It seems like she is laying too many eggs too quickly but hopefully that will settle down.
I scrambled her eggs and added chopped tomato and gave them to the flock who wolfed them down in no time at all. I hope Popcorn takes a day off egg laying tomorrow.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
You’re quite right, that it sometimes takes a little time before they settle into their ‘rhythm’. Great that they are all together.
They settled together easily in the end. I think at first I was being too sensitive to any chasing. I think Popcorn has started laying quite early and as you say needs a little time to settle down.
Good that they are all settled together now, did not take long.
It is lovely to see them all happily together. Maple perched herself again at bedtime last night.