Grow Your Own Magazine

We'll have had the girls for 3 weeks tomorrow and Roxy one of the pepperpots, has got redder wattles and top thingy overthe past 10 days, shes also crouching when I go to pet her - Im told this is her expecting a visit from cockrel (me!). Today whilst tidying up the eglu, I noticed she seemed to be flexing her vent - a bit like chicken .pelvic floor excercises. Are these the signs that an egg is to be expected??

Maisie and pippa are showing none of these signs, just roxy.

I havent put much bedding in the nest box, as they seem to just use the roosting bars, should I put some in now just in case?

It does sound like she may be getting ready! How exciting

I would put a bit of bedding in there, you don't want the first ones to be cracked - and maybe a golf ball to let her know where she is meant to go?

Our first ones were all over the place, mainly under the perches though and did get cracked - i think they got taken by surprise! By the third or forth egg from each girl they were doing it in the rihgt place, then I took the gof ball out. One of ours laid a good 3 weeks or so before the others, one every 2 or 3 days getting bigger and bigger til she was well in her stride!

janeyo

Cheers Janeyo- hadnt thought about a false egg. I'll see what I can find.

Hi Francesbean,how exciting for you!You'll get some lovely eggs very soon!My bantams have started laying too.The eglu is great isn't it?having fun with it.Let us know when the first egg arrives.

He He - it arrived this morning, I went out with a handful of straw,ready for alittle tidyup and there it was- on the roosting bars and a little cracked but otherwise a perfect little egg.

Now pippas doing a bit of crouching- ovbiously spurred on by her clever friend.

Oh and best news is my best friend had a baby boy at same time this morning.

Hows your lawn Jilly (and hubby)!

Well done Roxy - and your friend too

__________________
Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Fantastic!Great feeling having your own eggs.Our lawn was ok but we moved the eglu ontopart dug ground that needed more digging,bless em they're doing a fine job! will drag eglu onto new ground again tonight.Hubby helps a bit with moving them which is more than i deserve,as he didn't know i was getting them .Going down now to give them a treat of mealworms.Keep posting.