Building My Nest Egg(s) | Chickens in the Road

Oct
17

The mystery eggs are getting bigger! And I even got one that is a nice minty green, just as an Araucana egg should be. I’m still finding one, sometimes two, per day and always on the floor of the hen house. I’m planning to put a nesting box on the floor, but until then, I’ve been gathering the eggs and putting some of them back in one of the regular nesting boxes.

I’m building my nest egg(s).

Maybe one of the hens will get ambitious and sit on it. I want more chickens!

So far, none of them seem too interested in accepting the job. And nobody’s telling me who laid ‘em, either. They’re secretive. Maybe they’re secret agents.

Double agents, cruel and tireless. They masquerade as chickens while they pursue their true work for the Galactic Empire–

“Are you finished with your nonsense yet, woman?”

More posts you might enjoy:

36 Responses
RSS feed for comments on this post | TrackBack this post

10-17
3:04
am

Good luck getting your hens to sit on your eggs. When we had chickens we found a lot of the egg laying type of hens seemed to have the broodiness breed out of them. If you don’t have any luck you might want to add a Silkie or two to your flock. They are so cute and they will sit a hatch anything. They would also hatch duck eggs for us. They make really pretty crosses with other chickens. Here is a wikipedia link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkie

Alison

Alison

Flag this comment
10-17
6:21
am

I am FINALLY getting eggs again. I had tried everything and someone told me to put a light on them for a few hours every morning or night. They just needed more “daylight”. Guess that person was right, cause every since I have been doing that…I have had eggs again after going over a month with none.

The Jillybean

Flag this comment
10-17
7:13
am

Yeah! Suzanne’s finally getting eggs. I may be getting some chickens soon! Yippee!!

Becky

Flag this comment
10-17
7:15
am

Hurray! You are finally getting eggs and they are even getting bigger and the color they were supposed to be…you are hopefully on the right track now and many more eggs will be arriving in your future.

Shari C

Flag this comment
10-17
7:22
am

Those are such lovely eggs. I’m still waiting for my first home-grown fried egg sandwich.

Heidi533

Flag this comment
10-17
7:56
am

Perhaps the Ducks are counter-agents..thus why the chickens shun them..at night they no doubt have epic battles of witts and brawn until the wee hours of the morning.

Blaze

Flag this comment
10-17
8:05
am

You don’t want anybody “sittin” this time of year! Wait until spring. One of our hatchery-raised Aracuanas sat the second summer. She wouldn’t stop sitting, so we finally bought some fertile banty eggs over the internet. They came in bubble wrap in an egg carton by Priority Mail. We put all 12 under her and she sat three more weeks! Sure enough, we got 4 little babies. She was the BEST mom and has never offered to sit again! But one of the banty hens she hatched tries to sit about 4 times a summer. Make your nesting boxes out of 5 gal buckets, on their side, on the floor.

Netherfieldmom

Flag this comment
10-17
8:08
am

I just love those first eggs – it is so exciting everyday to see what the “girls” have done. For some mysterious reason my Araucana has given up on the whole egg laying business and is content enough to boss the other hens around and eat for free. I keep threatening her with a swift departure from this earth but my 8 year old steps in between us every time! He says, and I quote: “Mom she is one of God’s creatures and just because she is retired now does not mean we should get rid of her – we did not send Grandma away when SHE retired did we???” Who can argue with 8 year old logic?!?

Kris

Flag this comment
10-17
8:22
am

Maybe you can catch these secret agents in the act…. of laying, that is. Then you will have the mystery solved. Love the look the rooster is giving you. :bananadance:

The Tile Lady-Marie

Flag this comment
10-17
8:59
am

I know some folks that swear a “game hen” will set anything for you. I’m a bit suspicious of their game hens, I think they might be talking about fighting roosters/hens, but I’m going to get one from then and see.

I second the silkies. They are darlings and love to set, but not at this time of year.

Remudamom

Flag this comment
10-17
9:35
am

You know, I bet they ARE secret agents! How smart of you to figure it out! Not so secret anymore, are they?

Kacey

Flag this comment
10-17
9:42
am

Your chickens are doing great considering they are young and you are the only mom they have known. They will catch on. My chickens are young and sometimes they lay very big eggs in strange places. As they get older, they are getting better. You are a good chicken mom!! :flying:

Susan

Flag this comment
10-17
9:43
am

Don’t eggs usually hatch in the spring? Bear in mind, I get the entirety of my egg knowledge from picture books for toddlers.

Robin G.

Flag this comment
10-17
9:50
am

yay for you.
I reccomend for nest boxs a mixture of saw dust and hay (oat, grass or breadless wheat) my nest boxes are about a foot off the ground. But I want to make new ones soon. Some chickens are not good mothers at all. If you want good mama hens i seriously recomend Coachins and buff orphingtons. My 7 month old just hatched last week 4 lil babies(cross breeds)my Coachin hens are broody mamas alot and will sit on anything(currently 2 sitting on geese and ducks eggs)

Erika

Flag this comment
10-17
9:52
am

I LOVE chickens! Can’t wait till I can one day have them again. Enjoy your eggs! I hope you get more chicks.

The FringeGirl

Flag this comment
10-17
10:03
am

I used to collect eggs from our bantams (when I was a kid). Dangerous work with our crazy homicidal rooster Your eggs look fabulous!!

Toni Anderson

Flag this comment
10-17
10:13
am

We didn’t start out with chicks because our neighbor offered us some of their layers. We got a rooster to help protect them when and if we let them out. Right now they have a nice coop area in the barn where we can open a door for fresh air. All of us keep going out there to give them treats and watch them. So far out of 8 hens we have gotten 7 eggs per day but remember they were laying already. Three of them are promised to go to someone else though. We do have a light in there for extra hours too. The grandkids have been catching grasshoppers to give them and boy, do they love them. I gave them some worms too. This is so much fun and the eggs are delicious. In the spring we want to branch out with chicks, maybe araucanas. Blessings.

Abiga/karen

Flag this comment
10-17
10:19
am

Have you tried putting some eggs in a different nest box? Maybe the one laying doesn’t like that one. Just a thought.

TeresaH

Flag this comment
10-17
10:36
am

They are the most beautiful eggs ever! I love reading the comments – I can say that almost all I know about chickens I’ve learned from your readers! I remember Mom and Dad having chicks, but I don’t remember fresh eggs. And as I’ve mentioned before, I did hatch chicks in the nursery school room where I worked years ago. Bought fertile eggs from a farm (CA), kept a light, turned them, etc. What fun for the kids AND me! :catmeow:

Nancy in Atlanta

Flag this comment
10-17
10:42
am

It’s amazing that those chickens were once little, yellow, fluffs and now they’re all grown up and laying eggs. Time just flies!

ML

Flag this comment
10-17
10:53
am

WOW! That rooster is gorgeous!

Blessings from Ohio…

Kim W

Flag this comment
10-17
10:53
am

Try putting a thick layer (about 3-4 inches) of pine shavings in the nest boxes. They like to have something to
burrow their back ends in when laying. It’s easy to keep the nest boxes clean by just removing soiled shavings and
makes for cleaner eggs. I just use a little hand shovel to remove the soiled pieces of shavings when needed. That stopped ours from leaving eggs on the floor.

Gail

Flag this comment
10-17
12:47
pm

You might want to wait until spring. You won’t be able to keep them off a nest then.

Christine

Flag this comment
10-17
1:06
pm

I am amazed that it isn’t just instinct to lay on those eggs. So glad you’re getting them though.

catslady

Flag this comment
10-17
2:22
pm

Double Agent or reject from the “Red Hat” ladies……also cruel and tireless double agents……

cgReno

Flag this comment
10-17
2:25
pm

The chickens are all growed up, laying them some eggs….I bet breakfast is an EVENT at your house now.

Amy

Flag this comment
10-17
2:36
pm

I have the song “Secret Agent Man” going through my head…

You should put a hidden camera, an “Egg Cam” if you will, in the hen house. In fact, you could have a “live” link on your blog.

Tressa Nelson

Flag this comment
10-17
3:24
pm

I like your mystery eggs.

Maureen

Flag this comment
10-17
4:06
pm

I had the same idea as Tressa. Put a nanny cam in the henhouse.

Tori Lennox

Flag this comment
10-17
5:39
pm

Gorgeous rooster!
It usually takes a while after a hen starts laying for them to want to set.

Estella

Flag this comment
10-17
5:51
pm

You could get Coco to sit on them, after all a dog’s work is never done!

Susan

Flag this comment
10-17
5:57
pm

:mrgreen: I remember getting to gather eggs with my aunt, on her Ranch in Texas, once, when I was young. She had a little chicken coup. It’s not REAL clear, but I seem to remember two rows of nesting boxes – one about my chest level and one lower…I was a young girl…so they couldn’t have been real tall….but I remember how FUN that was!! I sooo need to live on a farm. LOL

Hey and the French would NEVER use a cold egg to bake…so there you are – fresh warm eggs!

Donna

Flag this comment
10-18
12:06
am

I can’t believe none of them will take credit for the eggs. *G* Maybe if you offer them a cookie? *G*

Brandy

Flag this comment
10-19
8:19
am

We used to have some ducks and geese. They weren’t any more interested in in sitting on their eggs than your chicken, but their eggs sure were big.

Minna

Flag this comment
12-16
8:21
pm

I finally had to pen up the chickens & ducks, cuz the ducks always stayed at our front door & would look in, hubby would say they are asking for dog food, he’d give to them; so they would surely stay. SO NICE TO GET THEM BACK IN THE COOP. Messy little critters! We love to eat duck eggs along w/ our chicken eggs.
You know what I learned? How to tell the sex of a hen & a rooster when they are young…A hen her feathers are all the same length & the rooster his is uneven. This is best to know when you have lots of roosters of which you don’t want to keep till they are full grown; there’s lots of fighting, and at 18-20 months is best to butcher them for the stew pot, any later they are tough.
Eddiegirl

eddiegirl

Flag this comment
4-27
11:23
pm

if you want a hen that will sit and hatch out eggs get you a group of silkie hens that will do the trick i practicaly have to pry mine off of a nest just to collect eggs

james

Flag this comment

Registration is required to leave a comment on this site. You may register here. (You can use this same username on the forum as well.) Already registered? Login here.

Discussion is encouraged, and differing opinions are welcome. However, please don't say anything your grandmother would be ashamed to read. If you see an objectionable comment, you may flag it for moderation. If you write an objectionable comment, be aware that it may be flagged--and deleted. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to our community!