October 14, 2010: Goldie gets to the box first!

October 14, 2010

Thursday, 11:55am

Woke up to a nice drizzling rain, perfect sleeping weather.

Today’s drama is yesterday’s drama in reverse.  Raven, since she didn’t lay yesterday, was up early to lay first.  Then Goldie started announcing around 11am, so I looked out to see what was going on.  She went into the nest box and sat down and then Ellie was frantic to get into the box as well amidst much warning squawks from Goldie.  So today, Goldie made it to the box first and Ellie will have to wait or choose another box.  Ellie is not making nearly as much a stink about it as Goldie did and I have come to the conclusion that bantams are more vocal than standards, although it could just be “my” bantams or the particular breeds I have or perhaps that they were raised by hand from chicks???  Not sure at this point, but they definitely do not have a problem speaking their mind. 

Ellie eventually hopped up and went into the box where she used to lay, the larger box across from Goldie, but she didn’t seem satisfied with it and jumped back down.  I heard squawking again and peeked out and there was Hawkeye, looking like SHE wanted in Goldie’s box as well and then she went and sniffed around the box opposite for awhile and then hopped back down.  It will be awful if they all (except Raven – the smart one!) decide to nest in the same box, especially since the remaining three are huge.  Ellie is relatively small and can get away with it, but the others, I don’t think so....

So, today I believe we will have three eggs and I will be able to give a full dozen to Mr. Haithcock.  Next we’ll give some to a manager at Brian’s work and then to us and then cycle back through I guess of all the other people who we’ve been giving eggs to.  The list grew pretty quickly!  Brian skipped his first two classes today and slept in, trying to catch up on sleep he will need for this coming weekend.  He goes to Camp LeJeune all weekend and they will do a 13k hike in full gear.  The CO has informed them he is going to “wear them out and that their a%^&* are his.”  Brian will come home sick once again as he always does when they insist on inflicting personal pain on the troops out of  a super-sized sense of testosterone-laden macho bravado.  It either makes them stronger or kills them, I’m not sure which, all I know is that Brian comes home sick and sunburnt to a crisp for several days each time they do this.  No wonder they call them “leather-necks”, they practically give them skin cancer during training and stopping to put on sunscreen is viewed as being a sissy, even stopping to go to the bathroom.  I do believe in strength and training, but sometimes wonder at how far they have to go.  I think it turns into a form of masochism after awhile.

Brian did come home last night inquiring how many eggs we had gotten yesterday.  It must be wearing off on him.  :-)

1:00pm

Goldie laid her egg around 12:30pm and Ellie hopped right in after her, laying hers at 1pm while I was standing there.  Before Ellie could jump out of the box, Hawkeye jumped up and was messing around  again in the box opposite Ellie.  I had already gone inside when Hawkeye jumped out, none too graciously, somehow knocking the large fake egg out with her, but not onto the ground, which would have seemed it’s obvious course, but onto the top of the large bottom nesting box which was diagonal from the box she had been in, having to skip over an open space in the process.  If I knew it didn’t fit in her beak, I would have sworn she picked it up and put it there!  Both Hawkeye and Farrah are showing some interest, but I cannot tell if it is just curiosity at this point or if they are getting ready to lay.  Both of their combs have turned red, but they don’t seem to be “obviously” ready to lay like the others were so I’ve given up trying to pinpoint an exact date for them and will just have to be surprised by it I guess.

Time to go take some more online career classes...joy, joy....