We seem to be rather short on eggs at the moment. We have 15 hens of varying ages, we have just one (Sporty Indian Game) who is still with her chicks and so not laying and we have another (Red Leghorn) who lays for a month each year only (!!) but that still leaves THIRTEEN birds. We had been averaging seven/eight ish eggs a day (not bad when you consider the stress of the move, being in a new place, the fact that some birds are getting old now) but over the last three days we have had just three or four a day only! (BTW, photo is of some of our young stock - only the larger of the four hens (at the back) is old enough to lay yet!)
Firefly (cheeky Red Setter that he is) had been getting in to the poultry area and we know he has had a particular liking for turkey eggs but we cannot blame him for the current dearth. There is of course the chance that some chickens are laying outside in the hedgerows, rather than their lovely sawdust filled nest boxes that we so lovingly prepare for them… We do know that our Brahma X lays in Banana’s nest of duck eggs (not a great place to lay when Banana is sitting and incubating as it makes the egg rather warm!!!). And we also have two hens that come into the store and lay in a load of straw on the floor!
There is no evidence of rats having been in and taken the eggs, although that could happen and we are not finding evidence of any of the chickens themselves having eaten them.
Some birds are starting to moult which does curtail egg laying for a while but all in all, it is a bit of a mystery. Still, we enjoy those we do have (David made a fabulous omlette the other day) and as long as none of the birds are actually ill we shan’t worry too much!!
(Not good news re the goats today... more on that soon)