The day before yesterday Topaz laid her first egg in seven weeks after a week of not sitting on any eggs laid by the other girls. “Hurrah!” I thought.
Topaz had laid her egg in the afternoon so when she was sitting in the right hand little coop the next morning I thought “uh oh!”. I knew it would be too soon for her to lay again. I heard Barley shouting and checked the coops to find that Topaz was now in the left coop with Toffee.
A little later Toffee was back out so I decided to move Topaz out of the coop and found that she had been sitting on Barley and Toffee’s eggs. Does she really want to go broody again after laying only one egg! She came out shouting as usual but once distracted she stayed out.
This morning Emerald went in to the left coop. When I checked a little later Topaz was now in the left coop. After Topaz had been in there quite a long time I decided to move her and found that she was sitting on Emerald and Sparkle’s eggs. Sparkle’s eggs are quite distinct, oval with little spots on them. Once again Topaz was shouting and taking her anger out on any of the girls that came near her but she stayed out.
Does this mean that she is back in what I think of as her broody limbo. Is Topaz destined to be like this all the time and rarely lay any eggs. It does seem possible.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Broody girl! Sounds like it UK me .
Be careful the other girls don’t get too upset which is why I rehomed Shadow.
So far they don’t seem to take much notice. Topaz was in the nest box with Honey at one point today and if I didn’t have the problem with importing photos I would have taken a snap of that. Honey didn’t look best pleased but was putting up with her. Camera problem should be sorted at the end of this week with the help of Steve.
I’m always afraid that eggs will get broken with broodies around, so I remove them as soon as I can. Cotton is unbelievable, and tries (and sometimes manages), with her beak, to move eggs in adjacent nests to her preferred nest – one inch only of space at the front of the 3 side-by-sie nest boxes. Risky business! Like you, I collect as they are laid, if I can.
I have seen Topaz roll them with her beak to get then under her. There is plenty of space in my nest boxes. I always collect them when I can though.