Nervous Nelly

My hens are famous singers:  Nora, Lena, Katy, Latifah and Nina.  Nervous Nelly is not the given name of any singer I know, though most singers have had their times in this role.  Today Latifah is Nervous Nelly.

There are plenty of Things I get to do today, but they come to a halt as I stand transfixed at the antics of this hen.  She stands and cackles in consternation.  She runs into the coup.  She charges back out into the yard with the gang.  She rushes into the coup and half way up the ramp into the nest area.  She flaps down and runs out.  She runs back into the coup, up the ramp, into the nest. There's a burst of cackling.  Out she comes again. (Note to gentle reader:  to describe the next half hour, I would repeat the above for that length of time.  Please just do that in your head and save us both the dithering.)

I did it all by myself!

I finally pull myself back to the knitting project for Auntie, knowing, hoping that Latifah will get it all sorted it out soon. Then,  as I complete a section of work, I'm aware that calm has settled where chaos was.  Latifah has returned to the flock, is scratching and pecking, nervous no more.  Whatever it was has passed.  I head out to check the nest box for an egg.  Empty.  I circle the coop looking for the "Easter" egg. None.  A wider circle brings me to the treasure out by a far gate, on the grass and the mud, a lone, large warm egg.  I realize her concern.  What to do with a whopper-sized load as it's coming through?  Her solution was to run in crazy circles. It apparently worked.

Nina and Latifah in amazed admiration

Latifah's egg is second from the left--2 3/4" long or more*

*Post script:  Latifah's giant egg had two fabulously orange yokes.