For the past few days she's been coming to the door and when we go out to see her she's been very vocal, as if she has something to tell us. I was wondering if she was brewing up an egg and it seems she was.
She went missing on Sunday morning. When Grant and the boys left for church (I stayed home as I hadn't slept much all night and was feeling rough) they noticed that she wasn't with the others. The four chickens always stick together so Marble being off by herself was suspicious.
When they got home Grant let me know that Marble was still missing and we all began searching for her. We kind of knew she'd taken herself off to make a nest somewhere. Daniel finally found her hiding away in the back left corner of the lean-to at the back of the house.
She was all the way back in this narrow space.
Well, we didn't want her laying her egg there, partly because we couldn't reach it and partly because that would become "her spot". So we ushered her out, intending to put her in the coop to find the nesting box there.
She ran off to find the other chickens, who were hanging out in their favourite spot beside the driveway. Grant and Daniel herded her back towards the drive and I was standing below her on the driveway, about 3 feet away, when she laid her egg! Poor thing, I feel sorry for her - I'm sure she would have been much happier sitting cosy somewhere when she laid her first egg.
The egg dropped to the ground, and rolled towards where I was. I crouched down and picked it up and Tulip, thinking I was holding a treat in my hand, immediately pecked a hole in it!
Here is the little egg, in Daniel's hand.
Grant immediately fried and ate it - it just doesn't get fresher than this!
We are so proud of Marble, you'd think a chicken had never laid an egg before. Today they are all "on lockdown" - kept in their run instead of free-ranging - because we want Marble to lay in the nesting box. That's if she lays today. She has been sitting down a lot, so we'll see.
So exciting!
