Penelope's triumph

Hens have one behavior that entertains me to no end. Once they are of a laying age, some primal force within them makes them present themselves to a dominant creature. Usually that is a rooster, and the huddling squatting behavior is an invitation to mount. Ursula especially would hunker down just at the sound of my voice.

It's a marvelous opportunity to pet them. Your average chicken doesn't exactly relish a good rubbing, but the feathers are so soft! Smoothing them over and over is a lovely activity. And when she's down there on the ground submitting to you, that's the best time to sneak in a pet.

But the best part? The best part is the !Fluff! that comes when you stop petting. Suddenly the glazed eye look is gone and then hen whuffles out all of her feathers in one energetic puff ball and gives a vigorous shake. As if she had suddenly realized her behavior was that of a brazen hussy and her feathers needed smoothing. Then they wander off as if nothing had happened.

I knew Penelope was getting close to laying her first egg because she's just started the hunkering thing. And sure enough, when I closed up the coop for the night tonight I took a peek in the nestbox and there was a teeny tiny egg. First eggs are usually pretty small. They will increase over time until she's reached her full laying size in a few months or a year. Hers look like they are going to be a soft milky brown. No eating this one though---- each time a hen lays her first egg I poke holes in it with a pin and blow out the inside. I have a little chicken sculpture on top of my desk that has eggs from Ursula, Henrietta, and even one from Hildegarde (a hen I had many years ago).

But the next one....that's for eating!

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Eggs laid in the coop today: 1