Egg #96: Extra Jumbo

That's right, we have been tallying up our eggs since Day 1, and we are at 96 since December 23rd. Not too shabby, right? My chickens are egg-laying machines! The best surprise came this morning though, when Fluff pushed out this super huge egg. It is literally the size of my palm. Ouch! I am curious how many yolks are in there, but I haven't cracked it open yet. We have yet to have a double-yolked egg, but I think this might be the one! I'll keep you posted.

Lucky #96

two hands for this egg!

comparison

Jumbo next to its inferior siblings

The hens are well despite the recent frigid conditions. They do all have a bit of comb frostbite, which makes me sad, but they are rallying their spirits in the (relatively) warmer weather.

winter feasting

My hens have laid 19 eggs since the end of December. That's a lot! Aren't they lovely? They are mostly size "large" now and vary in shades of brown. The tiny ones are Tinny's - she is still very small compared to the other two.


Today I happened to look out the kitchen window and I saw Fluff racing around with a black thing dangling from her mouth and the other two hens in hot pursuit. I went out there and it was a vole!



They got him good and dead. Yikes. Little dinosaurs! Such predators. It worries me something can get into their run, but it is good to know they can take care of it alone.

I also decided to really take on city council this year and legalize my pets...which worries me very much, because I don't want to lose them in the process. But! It must be done, and apparently I am the one who must do it. :) More on that later.

four eggs, five days

My hens are on a roll! We've had four eggs so far since the 23rd. The eggs are getting bigger and are all a lovely shade of pinkish brown.

the coop after the deep snow a few weeks ago

Oh, and they are all absolutely delicious: deep orange yolks that taste like butter. 

this was the very first egg, right as it was cracked and put on the cast-iron skillet. 

a most excellent winter day

The day arrived! Today, December 23rd! We got an egg. I was so ecstatic, I ran around the yard with it (and almost slipped and dropped it). I joyfully shouted. I ran into the house with it and the kids cheered and jumped up and down. It was wonderful. And then I took a ridiculous amount of photos of an egg.

Isn't it lovely? It is pinkish brown and small. Here it is next to a store bought "large" egg:

The eggs will get bigger as they lay more. Want to know which girl left me that lovely present? 

Fluff!  I figured she would be the first to lay, since she is the most physically mature of the hens. I went out to change their frozen water for some thawed stuff (I really need to get a heated waterer for them). Now normally, I go out and bring them treats (aka kitchen garbage) several times a day. The hens start straining their necks to see what I am bringing, and so they all stand by the door with their heads up when I come out. But today, Fluff crouched down when I reached in, which is an instinct a laying hen has to encourage a rooster to fertilize her. So she crouched down, and I thought, "Huh, that's weird,"and I went and checked the nesting box. Sure enough, right next to the wooden egg I have in there was a tiny, warm, brown egg. So perfect. I am going to fry it up for breakfast, and I cannot wait to see how dark and nutritious that yolk is. The hens have redeemed themselves--lay, hens, lay!

winter hens~

Fluff profile

Bowtie profile

Tinny profile

Fluff butt.

It's true: chickens are obsessed with shiny things.

Fluff and Bowtie venturing out into the snow.

hiding inside the run - what a chicken!

It's Been A While

empty nest box...still!

It has been a while since my last post. The pullets are now completely grown, technically "hens" (although I have yet to see an egg to prove that) and are 19 weeks old.  Fluff is getting rather aggressive when I let her out, pecking at me. It makes me mad  but maybe it's because she knows I am mad that she hasn't laid an egg yet! Ha! Anyway. THey are warm and cozy in their coop and run, although I think they maybe need a bit more space. I try to let them out several times per week, but sometimes I just don't get to it. I think I will extend their run a bit this spring. They are loving my kitchen scraps and their chicken crack scratch. But really, where oh where are the eggs? Ben thoughtfully suggested we eat these duds and start over with a new batch. I think we'll give it a few more weeks before we come to that. :)

November: I smell eggs

It's been over a month since my last post! What can I say - we have gotten into a groove and are just waiting for that magical day (hopefully in the next week or two!) when eggs appear. The chickens are doing well, getting even bigger, and adjusted to the colder weather surprisingly well. We wrapped the bottom half of their run with plastic to keep the winds out, and added straw to the floor to insulate. When it dips below zero we will plug in their red light bulb to give them some added warmth.