We have eggs!

When I got home from church I couldn't find Shirley. I was worried about her so I started looking, and even called Dirk to help me. I found her here and thought she might be hurt, but she was sitting on....
Thirteen eggs! Now I have been looking for eggs since the last week in August. I couldn't find any around anywhere. I assumed either they were late bloomers or that Angel was beating me to them (she has a huge fondness for eggs). I was really tempted to leave them because I thought maybe she was trying to brood them. But I didn't think it was likely that they were fertile anyway. So, Dirk and I collected them and candled them. Just plain eggs, no chick development at all. I didn't feel as bad stealing them from her.....
After we tested them for freshness, with the water test, we had fried egg sandwiches for brunch. Yummy!
It started storming and Shirley hadn't moved from the nest she had made, I started to get worried. I knew there was nothing left for her to be sitting on.... But since I didn't want her to get sick, I went out in the storm (wonderful cold sheets of water) to put her up in the goat pen with the other two chickens... low and behold I found yet one more perfect egg. She seemed ok when I picked her up and put her in the house. She stayed there until the rain let up then she went out to eat.

I still feel like a heel. I know they would have just rotted under her, but she didn't know that. Getting used to stealing eggs is going to take a while :) It also makes me wonder where Laverne is laying hers......