[Lindeggs]

BUT ... Patience the Barnevelder laid it on the concrete path and it broke!  

And it was such a pretty egg too!  A lovely size, and a pretty shade of mid-brown with dark brown flecks.

Oh well, maybe the next one won't be quite such a surprise for her and she might make it to the nest box in time.   :happy:

[Lewjam]

Still.....


First egg!!!

Woooo!!!!

 

[GrannieAnnie]

Patience?    Not the most apt name in the circumstances!!   

[joyfull]

 

Once one starts laying the rest usually follow fairly quickly 

[bantam novice]

Get the recipe books out 

[Lindeggs]

Patience?    Not the most apt name in the circumstances!!   

Patience is the perfect name because it reminds me what I'm meant to be striving for!

"PATIENCE! GET OFF THERE!"    oops I mean "Hello Patience you lovely little chicken" 

She has taught me patience every step of the way in my short chicken-keeping career.  Breaking her first egg is just one more step in that journey. 

[Lindeggs]

Once one starts laying the rest usually follow fairly quickly 

The pullets range in age from 28 to 33 weeks.  I think Patience and her same-breed sister Minnie-Rose are 33 weeks old so M-R will probably start laying any minute now. 

The Barred Rocks are a bit younger but not far off.  One of them, Phoebe, has been paying a lot of attention to Patience's egg-laying noises (which she practised for a few days before actually laying an egg - one more lesson for me as I was running out the back door every time I heard her!)  Phoebe shows more interest in the nest with its fake egg than Patience ever did, so she might lay in the right place when the time comes.

The two Light Sussex are different ages - one looks not too far behind the others, but the other has very undeveloped comb and wattles so she might be a while yet.

Bear in mind we've just passed midwinter's day here, so the days are still very short.  Once we have more daylight I think everyone will get the idea pretty fast. 

[Lindeggs]

Here's a photo of Patience showing her lovely red comb and wattles.  (The sun was shining on her from behind, which is why her comb looks like it has a funny coloured patch on it.)

[Lindeggs]

Here's Patience's sister Minnie-Rose who looks like she will also start laying any day now.  Patience and Minnie-Rose are Barnevelder pullets.

[Lindeggs]

This is Phoebe, a Barred Plymouth Rock who is running around today making egg-laying noises so maybe she will be the next to lay!  This photo was taken just a couple of days ago and I wouldn't have thought she was looking red enough in the face to be laying, but she might think differently.

I forgot to take a photo of her Barred Rock sister, Elsie. Oops! 

[Lindeggs]

Here's Sylvia the Light Sussex.  She's Chief Chicken, despite getting off to a bit of a rocky start with a respiratory infection when I got her back in February.   She's very loud and bossy.   

[Lindeggs]

And finally here's Pearl, another Light Sussex.  She is the baby of the family, even though she's bigger than everyone except Sylvia. 

[bantam novice]

They're lovely, Lindeggs 

[joyfull]

lovely girls Lindeggs and soon you will be over-run with freshly laid eggs 

[evie2]

They all look rather pretty Lindeggs and Sussex make fantastic broodies you know