A Cache of Eggs

Verne opened the door to take Lucy out, and found a broken egg on the front porch. He inquired as to whether someone had dropped it while carrying several in. When everyone denied the dropping, he went back out to hose the porch down. It was then that the hen came flying out of the old dog house that's kept on the front porch for the outside cat to take refuge against the weather. A little investigation led to the cache she's been keeping. Twenty-one eggs were all piled up at the back of the dog house. Turns out she's been sharing Casper's bed for quite some time. Who knew cats and chickens would cohabitate so nicely? Not I!

Eggs: The Pregnancy Superfood

No, no, no. It isn't me that's expecting a little bundle, though how nice that would be! Friends of ours are newly expecting, and have become regular egg customers. Good thing production has picked back up!

Big Egg, Little Egg

Sounds like the start of a Dr. Suess book, doesn't it?

The chickens are such amusing little creatures, and I never would have thought that we'd enjoy them as much as we do. Call us crazy, but we keep a log of sorts on the kitchen counter next to a postage scale that is extremely accurate. We weigh each egg as it is brought into the house, and record the weight as well as which variety of chicken laid it. This way we know whom is laying, and whom isn't. Also, I record each time I buy a new bag of food, and then divide the cost of the food by the number of eggs collected from that bag. This tells me exactly what a dozen of eggs is costing me.

Anywhoo, even when our chickens first started laying, their smallest eggs were at least 1.4 ounces, and they've been as large as 3.6 ounces. On average, they weigh about 2.2 ounces each. When Abigail brought this little egg in the other day, my first thought was, "The babies are too young to be laying yet." I inquired as to where she had found it, and she said that it had been in a nesting box. The weight of the egg? .25 ounces. It was tiny! We were dying to crack it open to see the little yolk, but alas, it had none.

Here's an interesting site in case you're interested in other odd eggs.

A Second Coop

When the children decided they wanted a second batch of chickens to call their very own we agreed that if they bought them we would feed them. We never considered that they would need a home of their own until they were old enough to join the rest of our flock. After they lived nearly 4 weeks in our master bathroom, it was time to find them a new home, and so, a second coop was built before Verne's surgery.

Though it lacks trim yet, and isn't near as cute as the first coop, it's a wonderful home for the new little chicks, and it isn't an eyesore. Verne built it big enough to be permanent housing if need be, or in case we decide to raise some meat chickens as well.

There are certainly roosts, and plenty of space, but some seem to prefer sitting atop the feeders.

Greener Pastures

We moved the chicken coop across the yard over the weekend, and the poor dears had to be cooped up all day Saturday and Sunday. This morning when they were finally let back out, they literally came flying out the door.

I'm glad this morning's snow didn't last too long and they were able to enjoy the fresh green grass.

Adding to the Flock

Ever since we bought chicks last spring, the entire family has been involved in their care. The nesting boxes are checked for fresh eggs at least hourly, and a daily count is kept in a notebook, along with feed prices, and how many eggs we sell. 

Autumn, Collin, and Abigail wanted to add to our little flock, and set out to do research on different breeds. The deal was, if they bought the chickens, we would feed them. Also, no ornamental breeds were allowed. They had to be cold hardy, heat resistant, and good layers. They had to have good temperaments, too. 

Our chicks arrived at our home this afternoon, and Daisy is just as fascinated as she was last year. I'd forgotten just how small and sweet they are. And just how loud their little peeps can be!

Cooped Up

Rain or shine, these girls like to be out and about. They tolerate being cooped up until about 9 AM, and then they start making awful cacophonies reminding us that they do indeed want to go outside, no matter the weather. I can't decide whether their little fluffy bottoms are cutest atop the snow in the winter, or the green grass in the summer, but they are adorable!

Omelette, Anyone?

Each and every one of the chicks that we bought in the spring is laying now. Despite the shorter days and cooler temperatures, the 15 of them leave us 11-12 eggs a day. We have placed a timer on a lamp in the coop to come on at 3:30 AM, and go off at 7 AM. It seems to be doing the trick.

Sunday Dinner

*~ WARNING! ~*

This post contains photos that may upset the faint of heart. If you are easily upset by blood/death, you will want to skip this one.

This Sunday dinner was no usual Sunday dinner for our family, but OH! how I wish it were.

Way back in May, our family became the owners of 12 little chicks. They arrived at our home the day after they were hatched, and we have loved them and cared for them each day- teaching them first how to drink, and then eat, cuddling them close during those first few weeks before they could move to the coop. We check on them constantly throughout the day, providing fresh water, plenty of organically grown food from our garden, and lots of fresh grass. We made sure their pen was large enough to exercise. And then we discovered, as the chicks grew, that two of the twelve "hens" that we ordered were actually roosters.

I knew, in my heart of hearts, that one of these fellas was going to have to go eventually, but we played the "wait and see" game. If indeed they could peaceably get along, then we would keep them. If not, one would end up on the table.

Several months went by, and though I was feeling sorry for the hens, who were getting "serviced" every half-hour, or so it seemed, there didn't seem to be any problems between the two roosters. Until about two weeks ago, that is. I had the windows open, and heard a ruckus going on outside. As I went to investigate, I saw the roosters in the middle of a cock-fight. This wasn't good. The white rooster, an Easter Egger chicken affectionately known as Rosemary (remember, we thought he was a hen!), ended up with a swollen eye, and was walking very carefully after the fight. Penny (remember the hen thing?), had taken the worst of it. His comb and wattles were bleeding and he looked like he'd just lost a boxing match.

Penny has been, by far, the better rooster of the two, always looking out for the welfare of the hens before himself, and I didn't want to see him hurt. Rosemary had to go.

Never having butchered an animal before, I was thankful to know Pete and Julee from the farmer's market. They've been raising chickens for several years, and always process their own birds. They invited us to bring our rooster to their place, and they would talk us through it.

Yes, our children came along. I believe that God gave us animals for many reasons, and one of those reasons is to sustain us. I find it sad that many children, or even adults today, have no idea that a hamburger comes from a cow, or that sausage comes from a pig. Knowing where our food comes from, and what an animal goes through, helps us to be good stewards of what God gives us as well as enabling us to make educated decisions about what we eat.

Rosemary was a much loved chicken. He led a good life- right up to the end, and our entire family agreed that the butchering process was in no way traumatic. In fact, it was very peaceful.

Verne was instructed to hold the rooster by the legs, holding him upside down. This immediately calmed the rooster, and he didn't struggle at all as he was tied to the fence.

The feathers were pulled down to expose the skin underneath, and his throat was slit. Again, there was no struggle, and this happened very quickly. In killing an animal this way, the blood drains from the meat, and the meat is left very clean.

Julee scalded the chicken that they were processing alongside ours, and began plucking feathers while Verne scalded our rooster.

The feathers were plucked, the rooster was butchered, and immediately refrigerated.

We left Pete and Julee with a jar of Caramel Spice Pear Butter as a thank-you for having us.

We all anticipated Sunday's dinner when we'd be eating our own meat. Not only that, but we had potatoes from our garden, our own beets, and home-canned fruit for dessert.

I can't begin to describe how satisfying it is to partake of a meal that you have raised in entirety. We felt like it was Thanksgiving a few weeks early.

Keeping it real, folks! Don't you love the ironing board set up in the dining room while we ate? and the color splashes on the walls? I'm trying to decide a new color, and painted swatches to get a better feel for the colors. It's so much better than deciding off of a paint chip!

Eggs in a Stoneware Bowl

This bowl, which was given to me with a set of stoneware dishes before I was married, looks positively perfect holding our fresh eggs on the counter. The combination of blues and browns make my heart sing.
Each time I visit the coop I make sure to praise the "girls" for all of their hard work. They look at me adoringly and reply, "Cluck, cluck!"

Big Eggs, Little Eggs

When we ordered our chicks way back in the spring we anticipated the day that we'd have fresh eggs come autumn. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I told myself not to expect anything until November. And then I got tired of waiting. It was then that we added four mature Silver Laced Wyandottes to the flock. They have given us eggs every day since we brought them home. About a month later I added one Easter Egger hen after learning that two of the "all female" chicks that we had ordered in the spring were actually roosters. She started giving us beautiful blue eggs, as seen in the photo. Our hens lay extra large to jumbo eggs. Consistently.

Just yesterday Verne was lamenting the fact that none of the chicks have started to lay, and so I figured out their exact age. They'll be 20 weeks tomorrow.

Today after church, Autumn went to the coop to check on the girls, and came back with these four eggs. Only, one was quite a bit smaller and darker than any egg we've ever had. 1.4 ounces as compared to the usual 2.5 ounces. We got excited thinking that maybe one of the babies has started laying. Then a few hours later we got two more large eggs. Yep- it was a baby! I wish I knew who left us the beautiful little gift. I might give her a kiss!

Pumpkin Shortage? HA!

I had a very difficult time last year finding canned pumpkin for pies, scones, muffins, pumpkin rolls, and cheesecakes, and I missed it. Desperately. I enjoy pumpkin- not only in the fall, but year round.

Sometime last winter I picked up Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and it completely changed my way of thinking. Why did I just buy pumpkin from cans when fresh was readily available? Expense? Ease? Perhaps because that's the way I was raised?

The better educated I become on nutrition, the way commercial food is grown, and what's really in it, the more convinced I am that we need to know exactly who is raising our food. It's why we started a small flock of chickens in the spring, why we grew a garden larger than we ever have before, and why I became involved at the farmer's market this year. I'm now grinding grain for flour, and have a grass-fed cow reserved for the spring, from a man that we trust.

I've recently read that butternut squash can be readily substituted for pumpkin in baking, and I'm here to tell you that it's absolutely true. No one would ever know the difference. Just last Saturday I baked Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for the market, and made sure to tell everyone that I had substituted butternut squash in them. Not one person cared, and they didn't taste any different than they usually do.

If you look at my Preparing for Winter list on my sidebar you'll notice that I've got quite a bit of squash frozen. Plenty to last me throughout the winter, in fact. Total cost? $9. Yes- NINE dollars. In my town, I could have bought 3-4 large cans of Libby's Pumpkin for that. No way is buying canned pumpkin cheaper. Did I mention that I saved the seeds so that I can grow the squash myself next year, or that we fed the pulp to the chickens? The only thing that wasn't used was the skin- which went into the compost pile.

I also bought one large pie pumpkin, and was given two smaller pumpkins. Collin and I cut them up today, and roasted them this afternoon. I have a roaster full of cooked pumpkin that is now being cooked down for Pumpkin Butter. Cost of that roaster full? $3. We fed the stringy pulp to the chickens again, and roasted the seeds. Three cups worth.

There's no pumpkin shortage here!

Eggs

Have I mentioned that I love having chickens? I do!

Undesirable

A less than desirable bag of corn gifted to us at the farmers' market turned into a picnic for the chickens.

Too bad the woman dumping tomatoes into the dumpster didn't offer them to us as well.

This Weekend, I...

* got stung by a hornet 6 times

* made loads of peach jam

* baked three pies

* sold at the farmers' market

* collected eggs from my chickens

* spent time with my children

* watched fireworks both Saturday and Sunday evenings

* worshipped

* spent time with great friends

* made friends with little girls because I had my dog with me

*neglected the laundry

And you?

Adding to the Flock

It's been a busy week, and that's an understatement. Canning green beans (which took all night), canning jams, and baking for the farmers' market has left with me not a minute to spare. God has given me the strength to get through, but I'm finding myself feeling grouchy and irritable. Not good, so I took a long nap this afternoon.

When we ordered our chickens in the spring, I chose the varieties for their friendliness with people, how docile they were toward other chickens and the amount and size of eggs they laid. I also wanted to get them all at the same time, which limited what I could buy. We ended up with Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpingtons, and Easter Eggers. I would have loved to have bought a few Silver Laced Wyandottes, but they weren't going to be available until later, and so I didn't.

I recently mentioned to a friend at the farmers' market that I would like to have a few of the Wyandottes and he said a friend had just called him the day before and told him that he had some to sell. Arrangements were made, and I bought four new hens this week. These ladies are already laying, and it has been such a thrill for all of us to head to the coop a few times a day to find eggs. They're such pretty ladies, too. Their names? Sylvia, Lacy, Wynnie, and Dotty.

The farmers' market has been such a blessing to me. We've lived in this town for six years now and I'm finally beginning to feel more like a part of the community. At nearly 40, I'm the youngest regular vendor to set up, and the old-timers have been so kind, taking me under their proverbial wings and showing me the ropes.

I'm baking more than I ever have, and enjoying every minute of it.

Watermelon Picnic

The days have been so hot and humid. Who couldn't use a little refreshment? I've been reading that chickens really enjoy watermelon, and I thought I'd give them a treat. They quizzically looked at it for a few minutes, and then they got down to the business of picking out the seeds. I guess during that task they decided that the actual fruit tasted pretty good, and devoured the entire serving.



I went to the Farmer's Market as is my usual Tuesday morning routine, and chatted with the regular vendors. I gave several older gentlemen the recipe for Cabbage, Bacon, and Noodles. They seemed very anxious to get home and try it.

My sweet husband got the chain link fence installed for the chickens over the weekend. Now we're debating as whether to bury fence under it (to prevent animals from digging in), or to put electric on the outside. Suggestions?

Setting Posts

The sun kissed our skin as we worked outside on the chicken run. Him digging holes, and setting posts, me holding string, and keeping posts level as they were tamped into the ground. Togetherness is good no matter what we're doing.

The run will be 14 x 40, equalling approximately 47 square feet per chicken. The minimum recommendation is 10 square feet. They should be plenty happy!

The children were busy too. One made a casserole for tomorrow's lunch, one mowed grass, one swept the pool, and one made Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli (from the garden!) and served it on the deck for supper.

Chicken Coop

Over the past several years, we've been trying to make wiser choices about the food we eat, where it comes from, and so on. Naturally, having a garden helps with that endeavor, although even gardening presents challenges. Do we want to use pesticides, fertilizers, etc? These are all questions that we have to discuss, and we have to agree on. For instance, I'd like to be chemical free, but my husband starts to panic when the Colorado Potato Beetles show up in our garden. And rightly so! After all, we've already got time, energy, and cash invested. I do my best to research natural remedies and present them to him, and then we discuss our plan of attack.

When I started buying more organic items from the grocery store, my husband had no problem with that. "If it's really better for us and we can afford it, then it's fine." And to be honest, I buy different things from week to week. Some weeks we have a bit more money to spend than others. My theory? It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Every little bit helps. If I can buy organic milk this week, then I do. If I can't next week, then I don't fret about it.

Every family eats differently. Our family eats loads of veggies, and the garden certainly helps with that. Another big item for us is eggs. Eggs are very versatile and I use them many different ways. Since I love to bake, we go through them like water. The problem is, most chickens aren't humanely kept. This got us to thinking that perhaps we should get chickens. We would know exactly what they ate, and how fresh the eggs were.

All winter long we discussed chicken coops, where we would place it in the yard, and breeds of chickens. The excitement grew. Two months ago, we started building our own chicken coop. Since we don't have much shade, we raised the coop off the ground. The chickens can take refuge from the summer sun under the coop on hot days.

Our coop is 4 x 8 feet, with four perches and four nesting boxes. We're housing a dozen hens. The chicken door is to the right of the window. (It's closed in the photo.) We'll be installing a fence soon. We'd love to let the chickens free range, but we live in a neighborhood with dogs.

Peeking inside, you'll notice the nesting boxes to the right, and the perches to the back of the coop.

We moved the "ladies" from the galvanized tub in our bathroom to the coop two nights ago. They seem to love the extra room, and the sunshine and fresh air that the windows provide. I can't wait until they're big enough to roam around outside.

Adolescence

Meet Clementine. The chicks are two weeks old today, and are going through puberty and all of the awkwardness that comes with it. They are trading their soft, downy feathers for real life quills, and my do they look silly!



We gather around the galvanized tub and giggle as they walk onto our hands. They are all feet right now. And necks. Scrawny, but long necks. Poor girls.

At least I hope they're all girls! I say a little prayer each day that they'll all turn out to be hens like we ordered.

Clementine wasn't too thrilled with her outdoor field trip for her photo session. Overwhelmed was more like it.