For a while I have thought Toffee was getting ready to lay as she had started investigating the nest boxes in the mornings. Yesterday morning she sat in the left coop for a while and was scratching around in there. I thought she was going to lay her first egg of the year.<\/p>\n
A little later she came out of the nest box with a pile of pine shavings on her back. I wished I had my camera. I checked the coop but there was no egg so it seemed that this was a practice run.<\/p>\n
This morning Toffee looked in both little coops then selected the left coop again. She settled in and I knew this was going to be the day she laid her first egg. I checked back a short while later and sure enough there was her first egg with a tell tale slight blood streak on it. It was smaller and paler than Emerald’s eggs. Hurrah! Well done Toffee.<\/p>\n
This means in theory all eight girls are back in lay but Topaz hasn’t laid an egg for a month now. I have worked out why I think this is. Topaz wants to go broody. As soon as any of the girls have a laid an egg she will go into whichever coop the egg or eggs are in and sit on them. When I try to take the eggs from her she will peck at my hand. Topaz is the only one of my flock that will peck me.<\/p>\n
So far she hasn’t committed to going broody. As soon as I take the eggs away and especially if there are some treats on offer she will come out of the nest box and stay out. I think the reason she went broody last summer was because we were away for a couple days for Steve’s wedding and with no one to disturb her she settled in and stayed that way for three weeks.<\/p>\n
I am hopeful that as long as I keep taking the eggs and encouraging her out of the nest box she may not settle in as this clogs up a nest box when all the other girls want to lay. Only time will tell if this will work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For a while I have thought Toffee was getting ready to lay as she had started investigating the nest boxes in the mornings. Yesterday morning she sat in the left coop for a while and was scratching around in there. … Continue reading