Day 2178 Egg eaters

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No, my chickens haven’t started laying Easter eggs… but they sure do need a few decoys in the nesting box. One of my Leghorns has started eating the eggs and leaving quite a mess. I alerted Tim that this was happening, and he quickly (and not surprisingly) responded that there’s nothing we can do about it....ever the optimist.

After a bit of research, we discovered a few options to make her stop. The first: put a few ceramic eggs in the nesting box so she isn’t successful in her attempts. The next: fill an egg with mustard so when she pecks into it, she gets a beak full of an unpleasant surprise. The third: immediately remove the eggs after they are laid, which is, without a doubt, the most unrealistic option.

I dug out a few old Easter eggs that my grandkids had painted years ago and placed them in the nesting box, surprising Tim when he went out to gather eggs. It will be interesting to see if this works. If not, I’ll be hollowing out an egg or two and trying the mustard method. There’s no way I’ll allow that darn chicken to continue eating her eggs....and even with chickens, bad behavior is contagious, so it must be stopped. I refuse to raise egg eaters! That Leghorn should realize she's not the only hen in town... 

No bad behavior from our basement cat; she’s about as close to an invisible pet as you can get. But at least she uses her litter box and stays out of trouble. Even with her in hiding, the house feels better with a cat inside. Tim and I were both too tired for any Friday night happenings, opting instead for warmth, pajamas, and an early bedtime...taking a page out of our basement cats book and retreating from the world. 

But we’re rolling into a three-day weekend and Valentine’s Day, so maybe there’s still a little excitement ahead worthy of coming out of hiding for.  If nothing else, I’ll be keeping a close eye on that nesting box… and hoping for eggs that stay intact. 

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes