I complained that our
heirloom breeds had stopped laying in December, but now I’m not so
sure. Mark had put a
shelter out in the
woods when we added
our sussex to the main flock since the younger birds were getting
picked on and weren’t always going in the coop at night. Last
week, we took a peek inside the now-unused shelter and found…eight
eggs!!
The eggs all passed the float
test (and didn’t
have any cracks from being frozen solid), so I suspect they’re a week
or less old. They all look like australorp eggs too, which would hint
at that breed being better at winter laying than the cuckoo marans.
We’ll keep an eye on
this supplemental nest box for now, but I’m pondering whether the
shelter wouldn’t work as a broody hen nesting area for the
spring. It clearly passed the test as a nest box.
coops since it keeps the bedding dry and never drowns chicks.
