On Sunday Dot laid an egg for the first time in three months. When she came to us in May she laid three eggs each six days apart and then stopped and started moulting. Now she has stopped moulting and I noticed her comb was redder. She also became vocal again after being completely quiet while moulting.
On the same day that Dot laid Sugar, Gold and Snowflake also laid giving us our first, four egg day, for two months. It almost seems that having new girls in the flock has kick started laying.
On the other hand Diamond who was supposed to be already laying immediately started a partial moult. Her every move sees white feathers drifting from her and she hasn’t yet laid an egg since she has been with us.
Snowflake has laid fourteen eggs since taking a week’s break after a mini moult and has now gone broody. Several times I have thought she was broody in the past but it only lasted a few days. This time she has been in the nest box for two days and she pecks me when I lift her out.
Today both Sugar and Gold have laid. Gold insisted on laying her egg in the nest box with Snowflake and Snowflake ignored her presence next to her possibly so that she could sit on her egg once it was laid.
Diamond likes to perch on the log. She goes from the patio to the wooden block to the small log and then to the big log like stepping stones. today was also the first day that we have seen Diamond have a dust bath whereas Saffron has had a dust bath every day since her arrival with us.
Both Diamond and Saffron go in the chicken shed at the end of the day but they sit together on the floor and I have to lift them to the perch. I am not sure that Diamond is able to jump up to the perch herself so I have ordered a perch on line for her.
It is a low free standing perch that is heavy so it won’t tip. She should be able to just step on and off of it. I am hoping that both Diamond and Saffron will use the new perch as they seem to like to be together.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
Doesn’t Snowflake look funny all puffed up and broody! Dot is looking absolutely beautiful!!
xx
Snowflake does look funny, quite serama like while broody. I agree that Dot looks beautiful. I was also extra pleased she laid to know that she is healthy after my experience with Spot. She is a lovely friendly girl too xx
Let’s hope that Dot will now lay consistently and into the winter! What would life be without broodies!? Eggs from the new girls might be some time away – I hope not, but they don’t look like they’re about to produce imminently. That said, some hens never look like business-like layers, but do lay and often very well.
When Dot first came to us she was only laying every six days but I don’t know if that could improve. Sugar will of course go broody again after her usual eight eggs! I too don’t think the new girls look like laying soon.
Lovely for you to have the girls laying again. They all look so healthy and good.
It does seem to be a case of one starts and another stops but that’s okay, at least we are getting eggs.