I peeked into the coop at the roost to say goodnight to the girls and realized that only Maggie and Clementine were snoozing on the roost. Sookie was missing from her usual spot. I was quite nervous because the chickens are very predictable and I've never had a missing hen on my bedtime check-in. I dashed around to the nest boxes and whipped open the doors and what do you know? Sookie was sitting on a nest! I knew this was a sign that laying was imminent!! I knew I'd have our first egg the following morning.
The following morning I ran out to the nest box with the boys to see the egg that Sookie must have produced and found…………a golf ball. She had apparently just been practicing by sitting in the nest. No egg. No nothing. Just a warm golf ball.
The wait continued. I checked a few more times that Saturday and found nothing.
On Sunday morning Aidan reminded me that we hadn't gone out to see the chickens yet. I suppose I'd been putting it off because staring at golf balls in nests isn't as much fun as it sounds. He convinced me to go out there and check the nest boxes and to bring the camera just in case. He's one tuned-in 5-year-old because when we opened the nest box doors we were in for a huge surprise!
Our Titleist had a friend! A small brown egg was just sitting there in the nest! We were so excited and couldn't believe we had finally become members of the egg club! Our free-loading hens had anted up and were finally producing members of the family!!!
It didn't end there. I brought Farmer B out to the nest box on Saturday afternoon to show him where the egg was layed and as I opened up the nest box door to re-enact the morning's excitement there was another small brown egg sitting in the same spot. Two eggs in one day! We were giddy. Here they are compared to a store-bought egg. (Don't worry - our chickens will lay bigger eggs once they get the hang of this egg-laying thing).
I know that some chickens often go one to two weeks after laying their first egg before laying a second, so I assumed we had two chickens lay their first egg in one day. I have no clue which chickens are laying, so until I catch one in the act it's going to be a bit of a mystery.
I know didn't expect to see another egg right away … but guess what we saw this morning?
Yup… egg number 3.
What an eggciting weekend!!!
yay Kate!! that is SO exciting!!! Im so proud of your girls :)
ReplyDeleteThis is exciting!! Congrats!!
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! You go hens!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!!! Love the golfball, too :)! Your son looks so amazed and proud, lol! All your hard work is finally paying edible dividends, now go eat some eggs!
ReplyDeleteNICE!! Very happy you no longer have to pace and fret, bring out the cigars! ;)
ReplyDeleteCongrats and I hope you don't have to wait two weeks for egg number four.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! Congratulations! I would have loved to see your son when he saw that first egg.
ReplyDeleteYou need to change the name of your blog. Chicken Farming With Skills would work ;-)
ReplyDeleteConeggulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!!! We used a plastic purple easter egg instead of a golf ball... We have three laying (when the one isn't being broody) and we still haven't been overrun with eggs. We had the same first egg stress, but that first egg really makes it all worth while, eh? (http://badgerpendous.blogspot.com/2009/05/our-first-egg.html)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo!!! Way to go, ladies. It's time they started feeling guilty.
ReplyDeleteNeat! We are waiting for ours to start. Should be in the next few weeks. I just picked up six more 8 week old chicks. Yeah! So it goes....
ReplyDeleteThree eggs....sounds like an omelet to me. Congratulations. Your son looks so cute...luv his hair.
ReplyDeleteyay hens!!!
ReplyDelete