Turns out the eggs were in the bucket all along!

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Week 11: Case of the disappearing eggs

Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse... the Pearson’s are faced with a broody hen and disappearing eggs!

Loss of a precious egg

I followed the advice given to me about shutting the nesting box, which did stop Poppet from sitting on the nest all day, but this has led to the chickens laying their eggs on the floor on the run!

I noticed an egg on the floor the other morning, but mysteriously it had disappeared by the time I had got some feed from the shed… Not only that, the chickens appeared to have pecked the egg until it cracked – had they eaten it?

Words cannot describe how upset I am about this. Having researched this type of behaviour, I feel like a complete failure. We’ve protected the eggs from foxes, taken them with us on holiday and kept them warm during the coldest weather, only to find them destroying their own eggs.

We haven’t had any eggs (or so I thought) for three days now, since we blocked off the nest.

Naughty chick-a-dees

Now I know that eggs are being laid (despite disappearing!), I have opened the nest box again and systematically shooed Poppet off it every hour or so – even coming back from work at lunchtimes! We got two eggs this morning so I need to work out whether this is a blip or if I need to take a more serious stance to stop the egg-eating.

Again I have consulted various forums discussing why chickens do this and the advice ranges from filling a blown egg with mustard (aversion therapy I suppose), to one forum user who wrote that if you have one hen who's determined to eat eggs despite all these tips, consider culling her from the flock. She'll only pass on the bad behaviour to the other hens and then you'll have a real problem on your hands. What a dilemma!

Luckily we are going to the chicken-keeping course this weekend, so hopefully I will find some answers.

Cooking up a storm

On a more positive note, Lily, Ruby and I made semifreddo last weekend, as we had loads of eggs (before all the shenanigans started.) It was the loveliest pudding ever. Matt, my husband, refused at first to believe it was home-made! See our recipe below.

Newsflash!

It’s Saturday morning – I usually write this blog on Fridays – but I can’t wait until next week for the good news…

Never assume

I saw the chickens peck one egg and assumed the overall lack of eggs was due to them displaying somewhat unfriendly and unchickenly behaviour. However, we have been into the coop to do our thorough weekly clean out and have solved the mystery of the missing eggs.

When we reopened the nest box, we put a bucket with straw inside on the ground where the egg-eating incident had taken place. I went to check on it later and saw the bucket had been knocked over and the straw strewn across the floor of the run. I had left it there until today – and guess what? My chickens are not egg-munching cannibals after all!

They have been diligently laying their eggs in the overturned bucket and we have collected six eggs in total, plus two from the nesting box, which means there doesn’t seem to be any persistent bad behaviour in our little flock after all.

Hot escape

So there will be no need for mustard powder or the other drastic recommendations of chicken soup for the culprits. I can go to the chicken-keeping course a wiser chicken keeper and no one, apart from you, need know the truth about the missing eggs!

Next time: Off to chicken school!

Crunchie Semifreddo with Honey

Ingredients

2 egg whites
4 egg yolks
100g honey, best quality, plus 3 tablespoons for serving
300ml double cream
25g pine kernels, roasted
1 Crunchie (or more depending on taste)!

Method

Beat the egg yolks and honey in a bowl, over a saucepan of gently simmering water, until the mixture is pale and thick. (We had to use a wire balloon whisk for this as we were in the garden, but if you’re in the kitchen, it’s quicker with a hand-held electric whisk).

Whisk the egg whites until stiff.

Whip the double cream until thick, then gently fold in the egg and honey mixture.

Gently fold in the beaten egg white.

Line a 900g/one-litre loaf tin with clingfilm.

Crush the Crunchie and sprinkle evenly. Keep a little extra for serving.

Pour mixture into the prepared loaf tin and cover carefully with clingfilm before putting it in the freezer for about 2-3 hours.

When it is ready to serve, turn out the semifreddo onto a suitably sized plate and drizzle with honey.
Sprinkle with roasted pine nuts and the remaining Crunchie before slicing.

It does thaw quickly, but as it is so delicious, you won’t have any left to worry about refreezing it! Enjoy!