t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

2.02.2010

Squawk Box

It started about 7 am and continued incessantly for the next 5 hours. I turned to Brent "If this is a new habit they are gone!" Our docile little chickens were raising a huge hullabaloo. About what? We couldn't figure it out. They kept running in and out of their coop, fighting inside of it... I fed them. Watered them. Checked for eggs. What else could I do, except grumble?

I did notice our little Miriam (the blond) was the most feisty and kept disappearing with the most frequency.

And then they stopped. I looked out and all 3 hens were peacefully pecking around in their yard. So innocent, as if they hadn't surpassed the annoyance level of the yappy dogs behind the fence. Huh??? I decided to investigate.

Low and behold, inside the nesting box were 2 colorful eggs. One peach. One blue. Our little Miriam decided to finally lay. And 2 eggs in one day! They were covered in some blood smears. The poor little hen had quite a time with her first egg-laying experience. I think she was mad trying to keep the other hens out of the coop. And it probably hurt. Hopefully it isn't so traumatic her next go around.

The peach and blue were Miriam's. She must have been a bit bottled up to lay 2 in one sitting. I guess that was why there was so much squawking. The speckled egg is Naomi, and Anna lays a straight brown.

Callista was ecstatic. She has been on pins and needles waiting for her hen to finally lay.

I decided I love my backyard chickens. We have a new tradition of scrambled eggs for Sunday dinner. I love it. Truly, Sunday can be my day of rest, with no meal planning and no prep. If our supply of eggs start to outgrow our Sunday evening needs, let me know if anyone wants to try some eggs. And these are healthy eggs. (We've removed all insulation from their diet.)

1 comment:

EmJay said...

I would love to try one. Do you find that they taste any different?