New hens, surprise egg!

[Cab]

Just picked up our new girl. White leghorn 19 weeks old, cream leg bar slightly younger.

They're in the old run and house that we keep in bits in the garage for introducing new girls. The others were a bit squawky but settled down, we'll give them a few days to get used to each other. I've let them free range on the other side of the wire - no one seems very angry!

Was surprised that within an hour and a half of arriving the leghorn had laid an egg in the run. Dunno whether that'll be a problem - I presume after a while she will work out the brood box is comfier!

 

[Margaid]

When I collected my replacement Welsummer, she laid an egg while on the perch. I just happened to be there and caught it before it hit the floor. The next egg was on the floor of the house then she found the nest box. I can't remember whether I had put a pot egg in there or not. If you don't have a pot egg you can use a golf ball if you access to one or two.

I had always left the pot eggs in the nest box until the other week, when having givien the house a good clean decided they didn't need them any more - then they laid their eggs in the corner of the house. So I put the eggs back in. One is an old whitish egg which is solid china, the others I made at pottery class - one white and two dark brown as I had Welsummers at the time. I have three nest boxes so two have an egg of each colour while the third only has a dark brown egg. It used to be the favourite box but they haven't laid in it since it has only had a brown egg. The hens are Exchequer Leghorns (white egg) and CLB (pale greeny blue) so I'm wondering if they don't recognise the brown egg. They aly quite happily in either of the other two boxes so the brown egg doesn't affect them there.

 

[Marigold]

Hi Cab, I expect your new hen was so flummoxed by the journey and sudden change in surroundings that she didn't know the egg as coming, or else hadn't got round to finding the nestbox when exploring the run. The egg would have been in the final stages of passage down her oviduct by the time she arrived, so unstoppable. It will be interesting to see if she now suspends lay for a bit whilst she settles in. At least you know she is basically a proven layer!

 

[Cab]

The egg was small, properly formed. Had first egg written all over it. When I inspected her before purchase I would have said she was close but not that close I did have a good look at her back end while inspecting her of coerse. I think laying her first egg yesterday surprised her as much as it did us.

She's scratting about this morning. She has a good leghorn strut about her. That's s good sign. Only downer so far is the new leghorn (provisionally named charlie) and Mary the goldline are squaring up for a scrap either side of the wire. Very similar sized birds so that might take them a while to sort out between them.

The cream legbar (Edie) is stubbornly staying in the house. Doesn't want to come out and play. Seems okay though. I think she will be out when she wants a snack.

 

[Cab]

Oh, and fake eggs... yes, I've put my fake rubber eggs in the nest box of the spare house where the new girls are. I think its a good tactic to teach them they can peck at them all they like, its rubber all the way through

 

[Cab]

Charlie is two for two. Just got Bach from town, there's another little white egg. In the house, not the brood box. Think she's been getting advice from Bess the old speckledy, that's normally her trick.

 

[Cab]

Charlie remains an absolute firecracker. An egg a day and an attitude more fitting to an animal the size of a horse than a tiny white hen.

Edie is calming down a bit - still tentative, very slightly less so.

Charlie is itching for a scrap with the older birds. Really wants to get in there and claim a spot in the pecking order. I have no doubt, as things stand, my normally calm old speckledy Bess would beat seven shades out of her!

Quarantine period continues