Honey’s struggle with her first egg this year

I have been certain for a while now that Honey and Amber are getting ready to lay again. Yesterday afternoon Honey looked unwell. It was a very familiar sight to me because it was just the same look Amber always had when about to lay a soft shelled egg and also Honey looked like this last summer when she laid a couple of soft shelled eggs.

Poor Honey has a tail down stance

I could see her discomfort in her eyes

I kept a close eye on her and hoped she would get her egg out soon. She was still eating which was a good sign and I gave her some chopped grapes to help keep her strength up. I knew from past experience that there wasn’t anything more I could do for her and she would feel better once her egg had passed.

After their evening corn and as dusk approached Honey still hadn’t laid and was on top of the little coop looking up at the high perches. I didn’t want to see her struggle to get up to the perch so I lifted her up and placed her on a perch where she settled.

I came back to see how she was just before bedtime and saw some egg white pour out of her. I have seen this happen to her once before, last summer. The white came out first and a little while later the yolk came out.

I lift all the girls down as it gets dark and put them in the pop hole but before doing this last night I opened up the nest box. I lifted Honey down and put her in. She made no complaint and settled in the nest box. I closed the nest box and put the other girls in through the pop hole.

I hoped she would pass the rest of her egg during the night or at first light.

When I went out this morning Honey came running with the rest of the girls and was back to normal again. I opened up the coop and could see by the wet patch that Honey had passed the yolk at first light this morning just inside the pop hole. There was nothing left but a sticky wet patch and no shavings so it would seem the girls ate the yolk. There were a few smears on the patio just outside the pop hole. She had obviously passed it just as she was coming out of the coop. There was no sign of any shell.

I was relieved to see that she was back to her normal happy self again.

As I proceeded to poop pick the coop there was, as usual, a flurry of girls.

Honey is in the nest box and Peaches and Emerald are watching her

Barley is watching too

I think perhaps Honey was in the nest box as she was unsure if she had laid her egg and Emerald, Peaches and Barley were watching her intently.

I will continue to give the girls ground eggshells in their mash but I hope, that as with Sparkle, this is just because it is Honey’s first egg of the year and hopefully her next one will be back to normal.

I wonder what Amber’s first egg will be like as she always has problems with her egg laying. I am sure Emerald will lay soon too as she is more vocal than usual and today she went in all three nest boxes briefly as if she was checking out their suitability.

Peaches and Barley are still laying every other day together in the left coop and Sparkle is laying her slightly darker eggs every other day in the right coop. Topaz hasn’t laid for two weeks now but still goes in to practice most days, perhaps she will always be erratic with her egg laying.

We are enjoying having more eggs and will have eggs for dinner this evening.