Sarah's three eggs were discovered broken yesterday! I do not know what happened. No signs of any predators getting in the pens or covered runs.
The feathers in this picture are probably Sarah's feathers. She may have been in the process of pulling out her feathers to line the nest in preparation to sit on her eggs.
Maybe one of the chickens threatened her nest and she accidentally stomped her own eggs? The contents of the eggs had been slurped up, but I have seen a chicken gobble up its own raw egg after the egg broke. The shells were left, so I do not think it was a snake. The only snake predator I have experienced ate the eggs whole.
Other predators possibly small enough to squeeze into the wire enclosures include weezle, rat, mink, ferret, but of those four, I have only ever seen a wild rat or field mouse. I am not sure the others exist around here. If it were a larger predator, we have not found any area of broken fence or dig in.
At any rate, Sarah was wandering around at feeding time this afternoon, looking lost. I doubt she will lay any more eggs this year. The second picture is of Sarah "practice sitting" on her nest of three eggs this weekend before going into that 28 day broody stupor.
Poor Sarah and Abraham. Like their namesakes, they have more waiting ahead of them before they can start a family. More of Sarah and Abraham's story here.
The Cotton Patch Geese Get a New Pool
Photos by Lindi Turnipseed
awwww....so sorry Sarah...don't give up...lay another few eggs this year...it would make Mama Penny so happy
Posted by: Pamm Romines | April 24, 2018 at 12:34 PM