October 2, 2010: Ellie's First Egg!!!

October 2, 2010

Saturday, 4:05pm

"HEAR YE, HEAR YE:  ELLIE HAS LAID HER FIRST EGG!!!!”  “ Ellie had been showing renewed interest in the nesting boxes again, jumping in, jumping out, digging around.  Yesterday and today, she displayed the submissive position and squatted and spread her wings, letting me pet her for a long time.  This was indeed no small feat because she is one of the more skittish of the birds, so I wondered if she had already laid or knew she was about to.  I thought, “Well, maybe she is copy-catting Raven and Goldie who also do this?  But all the signs were there.  This morning, I went out and she was fussing and fussing and pacing through the cage, jumping up onto the nesting box platform and back down again, going in the box, scratching around, etc.  She was scratching so hard, it sounded like a trapped cat and I thought, “Wow, is she in pain?  Is she egg-bound and can’t lay the egg?”  Worry-wart, worry-wart, worry-wart. 

I was so tired from not sleeping the night before and had a migraine headache and yet, here I was out in the 60 degree weather, sitting in a chair outside the coop, falling asleep, while I waited for her to lay her first egg.  I finally figured out I was being ridiculous and went back inside.  Around noon, I felt so bad, I went and laid down to take a nap.  Through the open window, I could still hear her fussing and fussing.  At 3pm, when I finally got up, headache still on board, I noticed she was not fussing and was flying around the coop, high point, to high point.  I thought, “Hmm, this is the not the image of a bird who is carrying an egg around inside her waiting to be laid, so let me go check things out.”  I peeked in all the boxes and all looked normal at first glance, all of the fake eggs I had put back in the nests to show them where to lay again were still there.  Uh, but wait a minute, I had removed the fake egg from the upper left box because they kept knocking it out since I hadn’t put a lip on the front yet, but there was an egg in there.  I reached in and picked it up, it looked almost identical in size and shape to the fake eggs, but there it was....Ellie’s first egg, a light creamy color, not white, not brown, but cream.  “Good girl Ellie, Good girl!” I cooed and bent to try to pet her again to congratulate her on her accomplishment, but she just skittered away no longer willing to let me touch her. 

This week also marked the date of two eggs in one day, one from Goldie and one from Raven.  Neighbors John and Renee had stopped by to give me some cat items and a bread machine and three very large brown speckly eggs from their chickens.  Sadly, they have moved off my street and to a 6 acre mini-farm.  I suppose now I am the only crazy chicken person now on the street and will have to travel farther to share antidotes with them, but exciting for them to have more space to do all they want to do.    On the same day they stopped by, (Sept 30^th), the two eggs were laid.  They went out to check out the coop and to remark on how big the chickens had gotten. 

So two eggs today as well and maybe even three before it’s all over.  I had one from Raven early this morning before 9am and now one from Ellie and maybe, just maybe one from Goldie today as well.  Three more chickens to go, who will lay next?  On my facebook account, I may start a betting pool to see who will lay next.  LOL  I know it WON’T be Chanel since she is so much younger, so it’s between Hawkeye and Farrah.  I have a feeling it will be Hawkeye, but still not sure.  Time will tell, neither have shown even a remote interest in the boxes, except to eat the wood shavings!!!