Rosie, the red Amerucana was "out" today. When I located her, I also located her nest. She had 5 eggs in a little hollow next to a log and was carefully pushing each egg under her wings. If I ever go crazy and accept one of Dr. Lisa's roosters, Rosie will definitely be my brooding hen.
Here's how to tell the good eggs from the bad eggs: Carefully put all the eggs into a pan and cover with cold water (not iced). The green arrows: I put a brown egg that I know was laid today in the pan so you can see what a newly laid egg should look like in the water. Next to it, the green egg looks pretty fresh. The two eggs with the yellow arrows are not as fresh as indicated by the fact that the ends of the eggs are floating slightly. The egg with the red arrow is on it's end and is the oldest egg and one that I will throw into the compost. As the eggs age, gas builds up and gravitates to one end. If it's a really bad one, it would float. Presuming you were able to get one that bad into a pan of water without breaking it, you better be extra careful because if it does break it will be one stinky mess!
