The First Egg

The First Egg

November 15, 2020

(Hamilton's first egg in a nesting box!)

We've had our chickens for a few months now, and they still hadn't started laying eggs yet. We'd been waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Still nothing. Finally, the moment came: Hamilton laid the first egg.

Last Friday, Hamilton was sitting in the nesting boxes for the entirety of the afternoon. I suspected she was practicing for the big moment. Come to think of it, she was showing all the signs of a soon-to-be egg event: Hamilton squatted whenever I came up to her, her comb and wattles had turned into a deep shade of red, and she was frequently spending time in the nesting boxes. 

When I came later that day to check on the chickens, I peeked through the window, and saw Hamilton in a nesting box, and all the other chickens were watching her. When they saw me peeking through the little window, they all filed out of the coop. All except for Hamilton. Then, it caught my eye: In the nesting box opposite to Hamilton was a tiny egg. 

I opened the lid of the nesting boxes, and unlike the other chickens, she sat still. I'm assuming she didn't want to leave the egg. I reached inside, and picked up a small, pink-brown egg. I ran squealing into the house, and once the rest of my family saw the egg, they started squealing too! After the commotion died down, we dashed out of the house to shower dear Hamilton with treats and hugs. 

Since that very day, Hamilton has laid an additional 5 eggs. We also found a fertilization spot on one of the eggs, so I'm guessing Hamilton and Lafayette "did the deed". Oh the joy of discovering an egg in a nesting box! The magical feeling never goes away.