The First Egg
We've known Ruby was giving serious thought to laying her first egg a couple weeks ago. She went into the coop and cackled and fretted about. Soon, we thought. Soon.
But waiting on your first chicken to lay her first egg is a lot like the proverbial water pot.
But this morning, I went out to spend some time with the girls. I took out some oats and meal worms, a favorite breakfast of the flock. Ruby had her share but then wandered off into the coop on her own again. I heard her make some soft coo's, but then she'd come right back out. She jumped up on the bale of straw we have in the coop and started scratching around on it. I thought we might be nearer the egg-laying event than we had been, so I went over to gently discourage her from using the straw bale as nesting grounds. Ruby jumped off as I approached, but then came right up by me once I sat down. Ruby is friendly, but not usually in a sit-right-next-to-you kind of a way, especially if you don't have treats with you.
I smoothed her feathers and talked to her a bit, but when she snuck in behind my back, between me and the wall and started scratching the straw bale again, I knew she was really getting serious. I went out the chicken run and into the coop (I have to go out and around, chickies have their own little door). I called to the chickens and sure enough, the whole flock comes into the coop to see what's going on. Ruby came right to me and I gently picked her up and put her in the nesting box. She immediately took to it and started scratching around, nesting. I was elated!!
As she scratched and futzed and got herself settled, the rest of the flock took it as their cue to leave and headed back into the run. While Ruby rearranged the wood chips to her liking and settled and resettled herself, the girls took turns peeking in the chicken door to see if everything was okay. Della even "tiptoed" in and across the floor of the coop to check on Ruby! April was bold enough to get right up to the nesting box to see what was going on in there.
Ruby just sat.
Every now and then she would emit a soft cluck, but otherwise, she just sat and quietly moved wood chips with her beak to make the perfect nest.
After a half hour or so of this, she stood up and began to cluck VERY LOUDLY. I thought she was announcing to the world that she had just laid her first egg, but I'll admit, I hadn't seen anything that made me think an egg had actually been laid. Her clucking was very entertaining but what I loved most were the response clucks from the girls in the run. It was like a support group of girlfriends!! "Way to go, Ruby!" you could almost hear them saying. (Or at least that's what I heard, but I am a crazy chicken lady.)
After a few minutes of crazy clucking, Ruby hopped off the nesting box, pecked around at the floor of the coop and then went out into the run.
Only when she was out did I peek into the nesting box.
NO EGG. Nothing. Nada.
I went to the window and looked out into the run. Ruby was wandering around, stopping to peck at the pieces of asparagus the flock had abandoned from last night's snack. She got a drink of water and then, right in the middle of the run, she squatted down and popped out an egg!
I RAN out the coop, into the run and snatched up the egg just as four other chickens were descending upon it, Della ready to give it a good peck. The egg was perfect. It wasn't soft shelled, which I had been expecting for a first egg!
I guess Ruby just wanted me to GET OUT OF THE COOP so she could lay her egg in peace. I hope tomorrow, or whenever she lays again, she will stay in the nesting box for the duration of the process!! And if I happen to be out there, I promise to stay in the run and just watch from the window. Unless it's a whole 'nother chicken. I can't make promises if it's someone else's first egg!
But waiting on your first chicken to lay her first egg is a lot like the proverbial water pot.
But this morning, I went out to spend some time with the girls. I took out some oats and meal worms, a favorite breakfast of the flock. Ruby had her share but then wandered off into the coop on her own again. I heard her make some soft coo's, but then she'd come right back out. She jumped up on the bale of straw we have in the coop and started scratching around on it. I thought we might be nearer the egg-laying event than we had been, so I went over to gently discourage her from using the straw bale as nesting grounds. Ruby jumped off as I approached, but then came right up by me once I sat down. Ruby is friendly, but not usually in a sit-right-next-to-you kind of a way, especially if you don't have treats with you.
I smoothed her feathers and talked to her a bit, but when she snuck in behind my back, between me and the wall and started scratching the straw bale again, I knew she was really getting serious. I went out the chicken run and into the coop (I have to go out and around, chickies have their own little door). I called to the chickens and sure enough, the whole flock comes into the coop to see what's going on. Ruby came right to me and I gently picked her up and put her in the nesting box. She immediately took to it and started scratching around, nesting. I was elated!!
As she scratched and futzed and got herself settled, the rest of the flock took it as their cue to leave and headed back into the run. While Ruby rearranged the wood chips to her liking and settled and resettled herself, the girls took turns peeking in the chicken door to see if everything was okay. Della even "tiptoed" in and across the floor of the coop to check on Ruby! April was bold enough to get right up to the nesting box to see what was going on in there.
Ruby just sat.
Every now and then she would emit a soft cluck, but otherwise, she just sat and quietly moved wood chips with her beak to make the perfect nest.
After a half hour or so of this, she stood up and began to cluck VERY LOUDLY. I thought she was announcing to the world that she had just laid her first egg, but I'll admit, I hadn't seen anything that made me think an egg had actually been laid. Her clucking was very entertaining but what I loved most were the response clucks from the girls in the run. It was like a support group of girlfriends!! "Way to go, Ruby!" you could almost hear them saying. (Or at least that's what I heard, but I am a crazy chicken lady.)
After a few minutes of crazy clucking, Ruby hopped off the nesting box, pecked around at the floor of the coop and then went out into the run.
Only when she was out did I peek into the nesting box.
NO EGG. Nothing. Nada.
I went to the window and looked out into the run. Ruby was wandering around, stopping to peck at the pieces of asparagus the flock had abandoned from last night's snack. She got a drink of water and then, right in the middle of the run, she squatted down and popped out an egg!
I RAN out the coop, into the run and snatched up the egg just as four other chickens were descending upon it, Della ready to give it a good peck. The egg was perfect. It wasn't soft shelled, which I had been expecting for a first egg!
I guess Ruby just wanted me to GET OUT OF THE COOP so she could lay her egg in peace. I hope tomorrow, or whenever she lays again, she will stay in the nesting box for the duration of the process!! And if I happen to be out there, I promise to stay in the run and just watch from the window. Unless it's a whole 'nother chicken. I can't make promises if it's someone else's first egg!
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