Unsecure chicken perches

[Smiler33]

Went to to check the nesting box this morning and instead of the usual Betsy mid brown smooth egg there was a massive light cream egg and the shell felt a bit rough. Am I right in thinking one of the other girls has started laying, or do they ever lay a completely different egg once in a while (this is what John thinks but I really don't!)? If it wasn't Betsy she hasn't laid yet today, but this will only be the 3rd day she's missed in 5 weeks!! I actually have my suspicions it's Peckish as her temperament has changed A LOT and she's crouching when you go to stroke her and Tikka is starting too as well. Mabel - well she's just Mabel and completely hyper

 

Something weird has happened too because my neighbour found a brown egg in her garden with a hole in the end. We are wondering if Betsy laid outside of the nesting box and something found it, took it to next door, made a hole and ate it. We've shut the girls in the back garden since then so we can see who is laying and where - in the front there's masses of hedge and it's an awful lot to check!!

 

Many thanks

[Egluntyne]

I'm guessing it is Peckish's egg.

[Gelbel]

I agree - that change of temperament with the crouching does it for me - along with the different egg colour.

[chickyhazel]

I think it's definitely another chicken - more eggs! You will probably get a 2 egg day soon, with one from Betsy and one from Peckish

[Mollie333]

I think one of your other chooks have started laying..

Congrats!

[Smiler33]

So you lot agree with me then that it's one of the others - I did think John had a strange idea thinking Betsy would suddenly produce a huge cream egg! She has laid each day but we've only had her one egg and no sign of the mystery cream egg layer since the egg I found which prompted this post. Is it normally erratic when they start laying? I've only had them for 5 weeks so this is all very new to me .

 

Now we have 3 crouching hens when I touch them; only Mabel to go! The others follow me around like I'm the most important person ever - why can't everyone treat me with such respect !!!

[Smiler33]

The plot thickens - Peckish was acting funny again and when I went and checked the other 3 were in the run and Peckish was in the nesting box. I left her for 15 mins and then went back - she had laid a tiny little (identical to one of Betsy's) and it only weighed 41g - looked for all the world like a brown creme egg!!!!

 

I wouldn't have thought she'd lay a whopper white egg and then a small brown one would you?

[Smiler33]

Peckish over the last 3 days has regularly been laying a small 40g egg which I find in the nest box along with Betsy's egg.

 

Do they normally lay a small egg whilst they're getting into the whole laying idea?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

In my experience, yes .

[stripeybunny]

same thing happened to us this week. We have always had brown or dark brown speckled eggs but last week we had a pale cream coloured egg with a very rough surface layed at the entrance to the run. We have an amber star but I thought she was laying large brown eggs. Did you ever find out which chicken layed the rough cream egg? did she lay any more?