Farrah Fawcett Blue Girl Finally Lays!!!!

Yesterday I went out to collect my now one egg a day from my Easter Egger and there in the box lay TWO green eggs!  Momentarily perplexed, I thought, "Well, she lays one egg/day for three days then rests one day, then starts all over again - wasn't yesterday her day off????"  After I picked up both eggs and noticed they were slightly different in shape and color and one had small traces of blood on it, it dawned on me that my late bloomer, had bloomed!!!!  She laid her first egg at 8 1/2 months!!!!  However, she laid another today and it was funny to sit in the run and listen to her stand patiently outside the box (she has chosen Hawkeye's box to lay in) and chirrup a friendly sort of purr/growl to hurry Hawkeye along so she could then lay her own egg.  Two eggs in a row, I wonder if she will be as dependable as Hawkeye is? 

Only one of the six now who hasn't laid an egg and that is Chanel, the Black Copper Marans.  She was six weeks younger than the rest and I guess since they are a larger breed, they take a little longer.  Can't wait to see the color of her egg and hope she will lay before Spring, but not sure how the Marans operate exactly....so we'll have to see.

Meanwhile, the other girls are all beginning to molt and have stopped laying.  My two little bantams have been shivering, so I have taken to stuffing them between my shirt and a fleece pullover I've been wearing.  They fuss at first, but once they realize, "HEY, it's WARM in here!" they stop shivering, quiet down and settle in for a nap.  The other larger hens then quizzically look at me like, "Well, where the blank did they go????"

I've been at war with potential predators lately as well.  I guess as the weather cools, they get HUNGRY!  I went out the other night to hear something large running off through the leaves towards a place where the neighbor has a hole in the fence which I will have to figure out a mend for.  When I shined the flash light onto the coop and run, I noticed an opossum on top of the coop.  I scooted over there and banged at him with my cane but he steadily climbed to the highest (and most precarious) limb in the tree, so I changed tactics and shook the tree but he would not fall out.  Amazing considering how small the limb was.  I then put the hose on him full blast, wherein, after a good soaking, he let go, bounced off the roof of the run and into the bushes and ran off!  I have not seen him since, but the next night, whatever is coming through the fence was back and ran off again....so that will be my next project in building up the chicken fortress!!!!

Also wondering about the cold weather.  Read some posting from keepers in Alaska who said they do NOT add supplemental heat, so I figure if they don't, perhaps I shouldn't either.