An Egg Surprise
My son shouted for me to come.
I spotted him in the nearby garden. Since no panic etched his voice, I asked, “What’s up?”
“You’ve got to see this.” He waved his arm urging me to him.
I pushed my shovel in the ground and strode over to where he stood.
“Look there.” He pointed to a corner concealed behind a raised garden bed and a large bush.
Clutch of 18 eggs. (Click to enlarge)
I stepped closer and spotted a large clutch of eggs. Our egg count had been down recently and now I knew why. There, in a crude nest, hidden away under a bush were eighteen eggs. Only the number of eggs surprised us, not that it occurred. Chickens will sometimes decide to sit on a few eggs or even lay them in out-of-the-way places, but this had been growing for weeks.
We collected the eggs, but since we couldn’t be sure which had been there hours and which had been there for weeks, we disposed of them all. Then I removed the nest and cut back the bush. My wife put a plant pot on the spot.
We’ve been checking the area where the hens roam but haven’t spotted any new nests. Meanwhile, the egg count in the hen house has returned to normal.
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