Locking Bar Eglu Classic

[Griffin]

Eliza, our White Star, has been behaving strangely for about a week now. Our garden is divided into three with the Omlet netting and she has been determined to leave 'her' section of the garden to be in the dogs section. Two days ago I thought she'd been taken by a fox because when I did the head count she was missing. I searched everywhere for her when suddenly she appeared from somewhere the dogs side.

 

This morning she followed me through the gate to the dogs section and I quickly scooped her up and plonked her back over the fence. Two minutes later I saw she was back over The dogs were in so I decided to leave her until I next went out there. A while later my OH says he'd returned her to her rightful place after he'd found her singing the 'I've Laid An Egg' song He said she came out from under some very overgrown ivy we have. Now I knew she'd started crouching but having not seen any white eggs in the nest box I assumed she hadn't started laying.

 

I found one of my dogs eating an egg in the garden this morning and wondered where on earth it'd come from because they hadn't been anywhere near the coop, it's not in their bit of the garden.

 

I started putting two and two together I went out to the garden and crawling on my hands and knees I've found a stash of 5 eggs, 1 still warm, hidden in the depths of the ivy But they're not white They're brown

 

So is it possible for a White Star not to lay white eggs and how do I persuade naughty Eliza that the place for egg laying is in the nest box, not under a bush?

 

I have to say I'm a bit miffed because I was expecting colourful additions to my eggskelter but my Columbine has started to lay brown eggs so Eliza was my last hope!

[chickencam]

There is no mistaking the eggs of my White Star, they are pure china white, are you sure of her breeding, does she have any feathers that aren't white etc?

[Griffin]

 

This is her a few weeks ago. She looks like a White Star and I bought her definitely believing that's what she is. She does look very much like my Amber Star, but she's unusual in that she hasn't any of the grubby brown markings, she's 100% white. Eliza hasn't any other coloured feathers, just pure lilly white.

[chickencam]

She certainly looks like a white star, mine has longer legs, but then she is fully grown, the mystery deepens

[Cooks]

White Stars, Amber Stars and Corals are very hard to tell apart when young though Phosphorus had this problem a few months back and was sold what she thought was a white star and she wasn't.

I am no expert but I think you have an amber star as I have a coral and she lays porcelain cream eggs.

[Griffin]

Here is Tallulah my Amber Star. I often have difficulty telling them apart but Eliza is more dainty which I would've expected from a White Star.

 

[Cooks]

maybe she's a coral but laying a brown egg? hmmmm where's Egluntine when you need her??

I have never heard of a white star laying any other colour than a white egg. But someone will some along soon to help.

Corals are not big birds so maybe she's a coral but laying a darker egg? ooh interesting!

 

edited to say there are some pictures of my Coral in the chickens section that you could use to compare her if you wanted.

here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=38544&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=coral+pictures

[AJuff]

I have a white star who is a totally different shape from your chook. Daisy white star has a small petite body, a different shape to all my other hens. Sha has what appear to be longer legs and a curved lower body. I'll try and get a photo up to show you, I need daylight though!! We also have a white Amber star that looks very much like your chook, she lays pale brown eggs.

 

http://www.meadowsweetpoultry.co.uk/poultry.htm

 

You can see the shape I mean on meadowsweet's website.

[quickcluck]

This is Penny she lays white eggs

 

 

 

 

sorry about the size, will try and make it smaller

[Egluntyne]

Looks like she might be an imposter. : D

 

A good excuse to get another (hen or two)!

[LJ's Chooks]

sorry but im inclined to agree with the imposter view... our white star is definitely more petite and has a comb larger than the rest of her body!!!!!

 

Sorry, but i dont think you'll be getting any white eggs!

 

White stars are a much slimmer build, and very flighty. we've had a few challenges, and i believe amber stars are far more docile... but no white eggs.

 

[Griffin]

I broke the news to my seven year old daughter this morning and she took the news very well. She's destined not to have white eggs at all. When we first bought chickens last August she had wanted a White Star but she was advised by Jude at Cotswold Chickens that they weren't really a bird for novices because of their temperament, instead we chose the Amber Star but as Emily had wanted a white chicken we had the whitest Amber Star they had, hence Tallulah with no brown markings at all. When we got more ladies in November we decided Emily could have her still much wanted White Star.

 

I was looking at them both in the garden this morning and when comparing them it is easy to see they're both the same breed, I'd been looking at them as Eliza & Tallulah before yesterday and it hadn't occured to me they were the same

 

Now we've established that none of my new additions will be laying coloured eggs, our Columbine lays brown too, my hopes will be pinned on my new chicks One hatched from a blue egg, another from a green egg. I shall pray they're both girls and that they'll lay those colours too! Two massive white eggs in the incubator from six mixed purebreeds & hybrids so I'm hoping there'll be white laying girls in them too.

 

I will get coloured eggs. I will I will I will *stamps feet*

[Cooks]

hey with the stamping, my computer wobbled then ;)

 

That's the way think positive, she's a lovely girl whatever colour she chooses to lay her eggs

[Griffin]

Oh she is lovely, both Eliza and my other little disappointment Freya have us all in stitches They're very funny, very naughty chickens. Freya was ever so flighty when she arrived but she trusts me now and is such a sweet girl. I firmly believe in fate and that we end up with the right chickens for us. Eliza & Freya were meant to be here.

 

I'm just about to go and find out where Madam Eliza has laid her egg today

[Griffin]

Guess where I found Eliza and her egg?

 

In all seriousness, this is a problem. I do need to stop her laying there. I thought maybe I hadn't been generous enough when I clipped her wing so I trimmed a bit more off yesterday. She's still able to fly over the Omlet netting. Would clipping the other wing make a difference? It's a job retrieving the eggs because they're so far back in dense undergrowth and more worryingly Eliza is invisible when she's under there and if I go outside with the dogs not knowing she's hidden there's a risk she'll get chomped or even killed instantly by an over-zealous dog. They're not vicious dogs but they can be a bit too enthusiastic in their play which is why they are seperated from the chickens by the netting.

[Snowy]

Whitestars are leghorns - typically they have a large floppy comb, white ear lobes and a very upright tail as well as being quite flighty.

What a shame - I also had one that was supposed to be a whitestar, it is very hard to tell when they are young. Mine is a coral nick and lays a cream egg. It does look like yours is an amber star, I have two, one has lots of brown, the other is pure white. The giveaway is the red ears.

 

The best way to get her to lay where she should is to keep her confined to quarters until after she has laid. If you can leave an egg in the nest box, or put a fake one in there.

edited to add: found these:

 

Whitestar

Coral Nick

Looking back at your pic, Eliza seems to have red ears with white patches - just like my coral, so she could be a coral.

[mostin]

Poor you, she is still such a sweetie though, even if you have lost out on your coloured eggs.....again .

 

I have never had a chook who layed outside the nestbox but i think people on here have said that to shut them in the eglu until after they've layed so they reset where they get used to laying. Good luck.

[Griffin]

I thought I'd update this after Elizas antics this morning

 

With 8 eggs a day from the other ladies I decided it just wasn't worth the bother of trying to persuade Eliza to lay in the nest box. She was happy, I didn't need her eggs and short of staying in the garden watching her all morning there wasn't much else I could do. I don't have a run, the chickens free range in the garden all day so I couldn't shut her in anywhere. She would leap over the Omlet netting from a standing start, lay her egg under her bush then leap back over again without a care in the world. However in our quest to rid our garage of rats, we also had to seriously prune the ivy & bush she was using because it formed part of the rats run to next doors garden. We did this on Sunday after she'd laid.

 

I didn't see what she did yesterday, I haven't found a stray egg anywhere but after witnessing her misbehaviour this morning I think her egg may be in next doors garden somewhere

 

I came home from shopping this morning and immediately went upstairs to one of my daughters bedrooms to check on her poorly fish. Her room felt a bit stuffy so I opened a window. Her room overlooks the back garden. I was sat on the bed watching her fish when I heard a lot of chooky noise. Realising something was going on out there I looked out the window to see my neighbours chasing Eliza around their garden! They caught her and popped her back over the 6ft fence I finished off giving the fish their medicine and went downstairs to see to Eliza who was in the dogs garden, not her own. I looked out the window to see her pacing the fence trying to figure out a way over next door again. By the time I'd got outside she was in a tree!!!!!!! Now she's either going over that way or using the wall around our barbeque as a stepping stone to the fence.

 

She's obviously got it into her head she needs to lay over there and she was sounding quite distressed. I took the roof off of the nest box and Mrs Pants was in one of the boxes, and in another there was already an egg so I plonked Eliza down on top of that egg thinking it might inspire her. I had to hold her in place briefly because she wanted to get out but eventually she settled down. Poor girl is way down the pecking order and I think she must feel intimidated by some of the others using the nest boxes. Mrs Pants is a very mild mannered girl who would happily sit alongside any of the others so I was pleased it was her in there with her and not somebody like Maisy or Pancake. Within minutes Eliza appeared again outside and there was an egg waiting for me in the nest box

 

That's the first she's ever laid in there. I hope tomorrow she remembers how frightening it was up the tree and how easy it was to pop one out in the nest box!

[tom123]

Feww! How about clipping her wings?

 

What colour was her egg in the end???

 

Tom

[Griffin]

Her wings are clipped She can jump very high

 

Her eggs are a speckley pinky browny colour. More pink than my other Amber Star. I'm not convinced Eliza is an Amber Star. She's definitely white though

[Patricia W]

Griffin

 

I sympathise. I have a girl who won't lay in the nest box. She has to be outside. So I'm just logging where she goes then crawling through undergrowth to retrieve them! But (fingers crossed) although her wings are clipped she stays in OUR garden. If you find a solution let me know.

 

Tricia

[mostin]

Bless her, lets hope she liked laying in comfort

[Eggy]

Hello everyone

 

This is really strange. I found this site by googling why my white star appears to be laying brown eggs. I too brought my 'white star from Jude at Cotswold chickens about the same time as you. Here she is http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww121/Foodmechanic/?action=view&current=LatestChicken016.jpg is she or isn't she? There is a chance the other ladies are laying but she hasn't started yet.

[Snowy]

Hi and welcome Eggy!

Twinkle looks lovely,but it is hard to tell from your pics. Are they very recent? A whitestar is basically a leghorn, so is usually a lightweight, slim build, has a very upright fanned tail and a very large comb. She should also have white earlobes. If your pic is recent, she looks more like my coral nick who also has white earlobes and lays a pale cream egg.

[WitchHazel]

What a lovely girl.

 

I really don't think she iss a White Star. If she's a white star/ranger and is laying, she'll have a huuuuge floppy comb; also, the white star/ranger's tails are incredibly upright, making the bird look U shaped. Your girl looks more like an amber star. I have both, and both are completely white.

 

You mention that you've clipped her wings. You might find it better to clip just one of her wings, as this will unbalance her. Mind you, I've clipped one wing on both my amber star and my White Ranger, and nboth can still jump quite well!