Chooks Earning Their Keep!

Last August we had a predator attack coincide with the hatching of some babby chooks - it didn't go well, as I posted at the time here and here post.

The chooks were later renamed Willy and Wonky by their holiday sitter, Lynn. Wonky never did recover from her wonky leg, and although smaller than Willy, she doesn't seem to have too much trouble scuttling around. She can't perch, but seems happy enough as a ground dweller.

Since Willy and Wonky were going to have to live lives of permanent containment (as opposed to getting to frolic wild and free with the other free-range chooks), I opted to get them a couple of friends - some cochins - big fluffy chickens that resemble footballs and are hopeless when it comes to escaping from predators. They aren't good flyers, so can't get up on the roof/in the trees the way the outside chooks can.

So we now have four 'indoor' chooks and a small flock of five free-range chooks.

The free-range chooks are so good at remaining below the radar when it comes to predators that I don't even know where they sleep, let alone where they might lay their eggs. So we effectively have nine chickens and don't get a single egg out of any of them.

Fast forward to this evening when I went in to feed the horses. I usually check in on the indoor chooks - and particularly this evening, since it's quite cold out. And lo and behold - we have eggs!! Woot!

Can't tell who's laying them, except that it's unlikely to be Wonky because they were laid in the top nest box where Wonky can't get.

"Normal-sized" egg added for reference