Friday, July 29, 2011

The Case of the Missing Chicken Eggs

Cruncher says hi.


Where's the eggs? A couple weeks ago Cracker (not pictured) stopped laying eggs. We wondered, is she sick? Is she molting? Are the other birds stressing her? What's going on? Then everything went back to normal and we forgot about it.

Yesterday, I went out to do some much needed weeding, and the mystery was solved. Cracker had scratched out a secret spot behind the compost bins next to the garden fence. We found an entire weeks worth of old eggs lying there.

I'm sorry about the bad picture, it's of the pile of eggs that Cracker hid from us.

11 comments:

  1. LOL! Our next door neighbor decided to raise chickens one year, and put three hens out in his yard to just run free. No coop, no shelter, and a 3' high chain link fence. As you can imagine, all three met their demise within the first couple of months (sad, as I had become quite fond of talking to them through the fence). Anyway, it wasn't until I was cleaning out the flower bed along the side of the house, the side farthest from that neighbor's, that I discovered the nest of big brown eggs. One of the hens had been flying over the fence to lay her eggs in my garden! If only I had known, I'd have been retrieving them for my breakfast :-)

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  2. LOL right back at ya! If only you had known.

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  3. You both can stop complaining..I don't even have a chicken and don't even see a chicken around here unless it's in the store. P.S. ( I'm making some chicken noodle soup right now, I don't care if it's a hot day, I need the energy it gives me). :o)

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  4. That's funny. Now when you have a chicken with no eggs, you will have to go on a search!

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  5. Ginny, you're right. We are blessed, but that doesn't mean I won't keep a close eye on these 3 little blessings.

    Robin, yea next time we'll know. The funny thing is, when Belle saw the eggs she said, "I knew something was up. Cracker kept crowing like she'd just laid an egg when she wasn't in the coop."

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  6. hahaha..cruncher has a secret hiding place and you found it with the treasures she hiding. We just got a permission to use a small space along the driveway which we share with our neighbour. My cousin was clearing it up yesterday and she found a black snake!

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  7. She sounds like a toddler who finds a private corner to you know...

    So how do you get her back to the box?

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  8. Hi Apple Pie Gal, that's funny. Belle heard her crowing like they do when they lay, but we never put two and two together.

    They roam freely when we're outside. When it's time to get them back in the box, we use a shepherd's stick (a 5 foot stock of bamboo). They are so familiar with it by now that I only have to show it to them and they head strait for the box. We also use it to draw boundaries for them on the property. Anytime they cross into the neighbors yard we pick up the stick and they are reminded to get back quickly! Hey, now that I think of it, maybe wooden spoons and toddlers aren't such a bad idea ;)

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  9. Ha! Leave it to a chicken. I just love it when I find surprise stashes, and sometimes in the oddest places! You know, if the eggs sink in a pan of water they're still good. If they float, throw them out.

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  10. Hi Leigh, thanks for the idea. Next time I'll try it.

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