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Sure as eggs is eggs
Oct. 22nd, 2011 10:42 amI'm getting a steady three eggs a day, so at least three of them are laying. Usually there's one in the nestbox when I let them out in the morning, and two more when I put them to bed at night. The British Hen Welfare Trust tells you not to expect more than an egg every two days from each hen, as they're all bred to produce an egg a day for a year and then be slaughtered, so all bets are off after that. And in theory, since it's October and they're moulting, they shouldn't be laying at all.
Steg is definitely laying, because she made me one when I was letting them out Friday morning. Hers are big with a rough white shell, though it'll probably get smoother and shinier as I get more calcium into her. Either Arky or Trex (but my money's on Arky because she was in there longer) laid an egg for me this morning. Slightly smaller, pinker and smoother than Steg's. I still don't know who's responsible for the soft-shelled one, or the smaller, shiny brown ones.
They certainly lay a lot quicker and quieter than the hens at work. When the work hens were both laying, they made such a racket I thought I should investigate in case something was killing them. But then, they're Cochins, who've been bred to strut around looking gorgeous (or silly, depending on your taste), with laying and putting weight on as afterthoughts. My girls are Warrens, hybrids (Rhode Island Red x Light Sussex) bred to be short-lived egg-laying machines. I didn't even notice when one of them laid an egg on the way home.
I'm eating a probably-Steg and a possibly-Trex-possibly-Arky egg (Tregg? Kyegg?) for breakfast. On our pizzas last night, Bethan and I had a Steg egg (Stegg!) and a mysterious brown shiny egg (bregg! I'll stop now).
Steg is definitely laying, because she made me one when I was letting them out Friday morning. Hers are big with a rough white shell, though it'll probably get smoother and shinier as I get more calcium into her. Either Arky or Trex (but my money's on Arky because she was in there longer) laid an egg for me this morning. Slightly smaller, pinker and smoother than Steg's. I still don't know who's responsible for the soft-shelled one, or the smaller, shiny brown ones.
They certainly lay a lot quicker and quieter than the hens at work. When the work hens were both laying, they made such a racket I thought I should investigate in case something was killing them. But then, they're Cochins, who've been bred to strut around looking gorgeous (or silly, depending on your taste), with laying and putting weight on as afterthoughts. My girls are Warrens, hybrids (Rhode Island Red x Light Sussex) bred to be short-lived egg-laying machines. I didn't even notice when one of them laid an egg on the way home.
I'm eating a probably-Steg and a possibly-Trex-possibly-Arky egg (Tregg? Kyegg?) for breakfast. On our pizzas last night, Bethan and I had a Steg egg (Stegg!) and a mysterious brown shiny egg (bregg! I'll stop now).
