Alma's Science Fair Egg Experiment

Remember the Science Fair?  Remember watching or participating in events like Build a Boat Out of Ping Pong Balls or Grow Beans in Microwaved Water vs Plain Tap?  It seems I have a chicken who has entered herself in her own Science Fair.

First, in egg laying, all chickens are not created equal.  Some are big egg layers. Some are loud egg layers and some, like my two Wyandottes, are not "straight to the nesting box" kind of gals.  The first Wyandotte to lay, Elsie, would lay her eggs in the dog house.  It only took me about four days to figure that out and redirect her to a safer spot, the nesting box.  She took to it right away once it was pointed out.

Next, meet Alma.  Alma is one of our Blue Laced Red Wyandottes and she is almost a year old. Alma is a very special chicken.  Alma is a student of physics whose goal is to successfully lay and egg from the highest point in the coop without breaking.  It would be quite the feat and this little girl  is up for the challenge.

Over the course of two weeks we would periodically find an egg inside the coop, broken and outside the nesting box.  My first thought was an angry chicken kicked it out as part of a "pecking order" protest.  But it kept happening.  Day after day of broken egg.  Then a Saturday rolled around and I was able to observe who was laying and when.  One by one the ladies took their turns in the nesting boxes until Alma was ready to lay.  In to the coop she went.  Then back out.  Then back in. In and out for several rounds of confusion until in she went and stayed.  After a few moments I heard it.  The awkward flapping and stumble of a chicken going to bed.  Going to bed?  Its 2 in the afternoon!  I carefully peek in the coop and there she is, Alma on high.  

Alma, preparing to lay an egg from the highest roost in the coop.

Much to our amazement, Alma manages to not only lay her egg but she drops it from about three feet and it lands successfully in the crevice between the coop door and floor.  Please forgive the chicken pooh splotches.  It is life in the coop. 

Seriously?  How did she do this?

The ledge egg, unbroken.  Rather amazing

Who lays an egg, drops it three feet and has it land exactly in this two inch gap?  Alma really needs to play MouseTrap.  (Yeah, I'm dating myself here)

A few days later, she inches closer to the mark.  And, I get smart and line the coop floor with several inches of shavings to "break" the fall of our precious egg.

We seem to be getting closer to the mark.

Alma ended up proving her point.  She could lay an egg where ever and when ever she wanted.  We are very grateful that she decided the nesting box was good enough....for now.

Success!

A Bird in the hand...falls asleep?

From the beginning it was important to me that I can handle my hens with ease.  In the event of an emergency where one of the ladies needed to be picked up and held (injury, illness, what ever) I wanted to know I could easily handle the bird.

As baby chicks they were picked up and held and coddled on a daily basis. (Who can resist a baby chick?)  As adult hens they no longer get picked up and held every day but it is still important to know the ladies will allow being held.  One thing I have discovered in this process, each lady has varying degrees of acceptance with my task.  All tolerate the event.  Big Fran, the Buff Orp, makes the most fuss.  When put down she always shakes and ruffles her feathers in disgust.  The look on her big, beaked face is "Quelle Horreur!"

The very angry bird, Fran.

This evening I was reminded which hen clearly makes the least fuss.  Each of the ladies had their turn and last in line was Lois, a Dominque.  One would think with a name like DOMinque there would be a bit of DOMinance but not the case with LoLo.  She is our low hen on the chicken totem pole.

I pick up little Lois and she quietly nestles in my arm.  No fuss with this chicken.  I give her a pat and start chatting with my husband about the yard.  After a few minutes I notice she has hunkered down nicely with no apparent desire to to leave.  Hubby and I continue to chat and walk about, all the while holding sweet Lois.  Again, I look down to check on my chick and this is what I see...

Little Lois taking a nap

As long as I'm walking (and not just moving but actual walking) Lois remains asleep.  Am I her chicken whisperer?  Perhaps, as low chicken in the pecking order, I am her safe zone.  No one can get to her.  No one can peck her.  No one can stop her from getting a little shut eye.

Release the ladies

The ladies hunkered down after a very cold evening and this morning they were ready to get out and free range in the sun.

Icebox Chicken or Learn How to Knit While No One is Watching

I'm not sure if I actually took the "I Promise Not to Get All Crazy" vow when I first brought my chickens home two years ago, but in my mind I have promised it to myself. I, Sarah Hiers, do solemnly swear NOT to go completely overboard with my chickens.

I'd like to think I also promised it to my husband but he may dispute that fact.  He also may disagree on the definition of "Get All Crazy".   I say, No hats or capes.  No sweaters.  No dressing of chickens.  He may say the picture framed windows and family portrait in the coop teeters on the edge.

In the two years we have had our ladies they have weathered quite a bit.  They have 'weathered" stifling heat, fireworks, two floods and a tropical strength storm.  Tonight the temps are expected to drop into the low 30's.  Here in South Florida they might as well call in the National Guard.  While my reasonable brains suggests they are chickens who can weather the cold in their coop tonight, I can't help but think...hats?  sweaters?  Maybe a stylishly warm cape?

 Ok, back to reasonable self:

• Chickens have 8,300 feathers and know how to arrange them just right so they stay warm
• Warmth in numbers.  There are six ladies and they snuggle together every night.  Tonight will be no different.
• I don't have time to learn to knit six tiny sweaters while convincing my husband I haven't lost my mind.

Tonight I'm sure I will check on the ladies several times before myself retiring.  Tonight I'm sure I will get soft little coos and purrs coming from the coop and possibly a stink eye for accidentally waking up my warm and sleepy little girls.  I'll try to tip toe and I'll try not to secretly sneak on to Amazon to buy ready made capes and hats.

Elsie, the Blue laced Red Wyandotte, ready for bed.

All In A Row...well, almost all

Happy 2014 from all at Hiers Hens...well, almost all.

We have decided to start out the year on yet another molt...or maybe its just the dark winter...but only four of our six ladies have kept up laying on a regular basis.  Below is our egg in take from January 1 in order of appearance.  On that particular day Dolores and Lois decided to sit out.

There may be something slightly kooky about this, but I love that I can identify the which egg came from which chicken.

January 1, 2014

1. Elsie the Blue Laced Red Wyandotte lays lovely brown, smooth almost round eggs.
2. Alma the lighter Blue Laced Red Wyandotte lays a lighter egg with white speckles.  (sorry for the poor photography.  the speckles do not appear)
3. The lighter brown, smooth egg is from my Queen Bee, Marie and finally,
4. The granddaddy of all eggs comes from Fran.  How does that chicken push out such a large egg?

The New Waiting Game...

It was just over a year ago I was writing about the excitement of our first egg and the unexpected behaviors that come before the first egg is laid.

To begin, there is the first time you hear a real, authentic "clucking" sound.  Not the cute little peeping purring cooing sounds the chicken makes when wandering about, but a real cluck.  The sound was not just surprising for us but seemingly for the chicken as well.

Then there is the squatting and confusion of where to be.(The chickens, by the way, were squatting and confused.  Not me.  Well, I was a bit confused...)  Once the ladies begin to squat when approached you know they are maturing and eggs will be on their agenda. I like to call it "pancaking".

In 2012, at 21 weeks our Buff Orpingtons produced their first cluck.  At week 23, the squat, aka pancake. And then the EGG.  At our coop, the chicken clearly came BEFORE the egg.

Alma and Elsie April 2013

Lets fast forward to 2013...where we are today...and our New waiting game.  In April we brought home two adorable Blue Laced Red Wyandotte chicks.  It is now November and week 32.  Scarcely have we heard a cluck (and it came during distress) and not one remote sign of a squat.

These little ladies are hold outs.  Maybe they know we have a workshop in three weeks and they want to wait and show off.  Maybe they think the other ladies have it under control.  All I know is we are back to the waiting game...

Elsie & Alma today

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