My first egg appeared August 13th, 2003. I was so excited to see it. It was on the floor of the coop in the upper righthand corner. I had heard that chickens lay on the ground when they don't like to nest in their boxes, but gosh, I have some humdinger boxes. Why didn't they use it? What I came up with was that one of them must have laid it on their roost right above where the eggs was found. That's why it was cracked. It rolled off the loft roost.
However, today, August 16th, I found my second egg all intact and lovely in the top lefthand part of their laying boxes. Yahoo! they are using it. I'm not sure which chicken laid the egg. All my girls are brown egg layers except for the white leghorn and the two Araucanas. Maybe some morning when I get up VERY early, I'll perch on the door and keep a look out for the Hen That Leads the Way.
Here's some pics of the Big Event:
Who is the Hen That Leads the Way? Can't be White, the little Leghorn peaking out of the coop. Spot or Rocky, the Barred Rocks? Charcoal the black Astralorp? Red or Little Link? It isn't the Araucana . . . gosh, I'd love to find out. :)
Inside the coop that morning, the male? Araucana and Lovey my darling Red Sex Link were hanging out. Did Lovey lay the egg?
The male? Araucana was peaking at something up in one of the laying boxes . . . That's what drew my eye to the box.
Something round and small in the box!!
My Egg! My first whole intact brown egg!! Talk about exciting!!!
I carefully took it inside and put a quarter beside it to show its size. Most hens lay smaller eggs to start with. This one is about 2-1/25 as wide as an American Quarter. It's shell is VERY hard. These are healthy chickens! Looks like the seaweed, the Azomite, laying crumble, and the oyster shell is paying off!
Click here to see eggs applied in good fashion . . .