Some time ago, I read that an organization called “Chicken Heaven on Earth” has determined that chickens can learn their names.  “And quicker than you think” says their website.   They suggest that you say a chicken’s name several times a day as you talk to it and soon said chicken will recognize its own name and come when you say it.  I’m pretty sure that’s true.  Little Red Hen and Slutvana definitely respond when spoken to by name.  Ida Mae and Clara, not so much — mostly because I still have trouble telling them apart.

So, in desperation over the egg-laying strike, I’ve decided to extend this learning possibilty to the word “egg.” And not only that, I’m teaching (or trying to) not only by constant repetition but also by the reward and punishment method.  If I find an egg in the nest box, I make a great big fuss, give all the girls a treat, and let them out of jail.  “Jail” is being in the coop-and-run all day without being allowed to free-range in the garden.  (I think they are also learning what “jail” means…)

For two days in a row, now, we’ve been rewarded with eggs!  Only one per day, but it’s a start.  There have been weeks and weeks this summer that there was ‘nary-a-one.  Also, we had the problem of the hole-pecker — one egg laid, always in the middle nest box,  but always with a hole pecked in it, making it useless.  I read that putting a wooden egg in the nest box can deter (or even cure) the egg-pecking habit and, so far, so good.  Fortunately, that holey egg was always in the same nest box, so putting the wooden egg there was an easy decision.

At first Nyel gave me a hard time.  “Just a frustrated teacher!” he teased when I was holding up the wooden egg and saying “egg!” “egg!” “egg!” with great enthusiasm.  Now that we’ve found two eggs (real ones) in two days, his teasing has stopped.  Neither of us is sure this isn’t a coincidence, but it’s sure worth a few minutes a day  of sounding/looking like an idiot.  Because, of course, you never can tell with chickens!