Take Two!

We were pleasantly surprised today to find another egg and a half!

I say half because one of the eggs didn't have a shell. It was just the inner membrane, egg white (albumin) & yolk. This often occurs in young laying hens at the onset of their laying cycle and is no cause for concern. If shell-less eggs continued to appear after the hens have been laying for awhile, it could be an indication that there is a calcium deficiency. We free-choice oyster shell, which is one of the best calcium supplements for hens. They will regulate what they need on their own, so no need to mix it in their feed. For now, we're chalking this one up to inexperience!

Connor loves to hold the eggs his "chickies" give him. I have to remind him to be gentle because he gets very excited. He is proud of this egg...just like his Mama! How ironic is it that he happens to be wearing a shirt that says Crusher?!

It's Arrived!

Our very first egg was nestled in a perfectly formed straw nest this evening when we got home!

The falling snow and the drift outside our back door weren't enough to deter me from practically sprinting to the coop to check for the egg that had to appear any day now. I approached the ladies from the front door and greeted them as always before shutting the door for the evening. They were talkative and curious as usual. I then went around back to check the egg door and talk some more. I've been asking the girls daily who planned to lay the first egg for me...

My eyes must have been as wide as the eyes of a 4 year-old on Christmas morning when I saw what one of the ladies had left for me. I swear there was a halo of light surrounding this egg. Scooping it up, I thanked the girls, closed the door and ran for the house. Thankfully, the clutz in me managed to avoid falling face first in the snow, crushing the egg...whew! I flung the door open and yelled...WHOOO HOOO, we got our 1st egg! While everyone was excited, I'm certain no one was as exhilarated as I...

I couldn't figure out exactly who laid it because the egg had been left to fend for itself. Judging by the color, I'm pretty positive it belongs to one of our Barred Plymouths or maybe an Australorp. This egg is small as is to be expected from all first eggs, but I'll take it! It's really amazing how clean eggs come out. All I had to do was run it under some water and voila...perfection!

Needless to say, it's been an exciting evening on Wiedenhoeft Mountain. I have banned anyone from cracking this egg, at least for now. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Egg In The Hole (or Star) !!!

I've seen others make this yet I'm always surprised how many people have never heard of it! It's everything eggs and toast should be...simply delicious!

What you'll need:

Farm Fresh Eggs
Bread
Butter
Salt
Pepper
A Cookie/Biscuit Cutter

First, pull out your farm fresh eggs. These are the eggs I've been purchasing from the grocery for $4/dozen since I saw that horrific video I showed you in my very first Happy Hen post while waiting for my happy hens to start making eggs for me!



Aren't they lovely?



Use your cookie cutter to cut out the centers of your bread slices...

Warm up your fry pan and drop a hunk of real butter in that baby...



Slap your beautiful bread creation down over that butter...



Crack your egg down in that hole.... I always find myself wanting to shout, "Egg in the hole!" Kinda' like "Fire in the hole!" I'd like to think I'm not the only one.

Add some salt & pepper. Let it sizzle & fry until it's ready to flip...if you've ever cooked an egg, you'll know when. If you haven't cooked an egg, try that first.

FLIP and enjoy the view while the underside is becoming just as scrumptious and golden delicious as the first!

Serve along side some bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, hashbrowns...or whatever you'd like. Enjoy!

What's Up? Chicken Butt!

One of my favorite things about my chickens are their backsides! Not only because this is where the eggs will eventually be coming from (tick, tock, tick...), but also because the soft feathering/fluff on a chicken bum is so darn cute. I got some shots of my girls while they were out free ranging today so y'all can enjoy the view from the backside of a hen too! It's seems that the Speckled Sussex, Barred Plymouth Rocks, and Ameraucanas were the least camera-shy!

Star, a Speckled Sussex.

The following two shots include Ameraucanas and Barred Plymouths. It's hard to identify them by name from their butts alone.

I love this one. The girl on the right has heart-shaped fluff!

The Waiting Game

As y'all may have noticed, I've added a new Eggs Collected feature on the left. Right now, we're still at ZERO; I'm hoping that will change within the next few weeks.

I got my first chickens in June (5-Silkies): 1 died, 1 was murdered by a cat, and the other 3 turned out to be roosters. I returned the two that I was sure were roos to the breeder in August and got 3 more Silkies that she was certain (or at least pretty certain) were females...here's to hoping! Since then, we've realized that Brooke (my last remaining original Silkie that was sure to be laying an egg any day now) is, in fact, a roo. His cock-a-doodle-doo's, long hackle feathers, and stiff tail feathers have given him away...every morning like clockwork! We've decided to keep him considering he's about as fierce as, oh, a butterfly. My 2 older, hopefully-female, Silkies are 2-3 months from laying and the 10 new arrivals won't start laying until Spring. I've begun to wonder if I'll ever get a Silkie egg; it will certainly be something to celebrate when it does happen!

Waiting for my 19 big girls to start laying has reminded me of the wait I had to endure to see my children enter this world. I imagine myself taking pictures of that first egg as if it is a member of our family. Seriously, I may even hire a photographer and invite the entire extended family over for a photo with the darn thing. Since they were all born in early July, I'm praying that they'll start producing somewhere around the 1st or 2nd week of December. However, since chickens begin laying at around 20-28 weeks depending on the breed, it could be as late as January/February... OR worse, they could decide to wait until Spring since production goes down in the Winter. Tick-tock my little flock...Mama wants some eggs.

Stay tuned for the arrival of the 1st egg... maybe I'll have it gold-plated?

Silkie Swap Sale & Meet Up @ The Rubin Ranch!

Elana Rubin of The Rubin Ranch is hosting a Silkie Swap Sale & Meet Up on Sunday, November 21st for Silkie lovers! Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend this event, but I wanted to share the info just in case there was anyone out there who is able to go! If you plan to attend, be sure to RSVP to Elana @ elanarubin@yahoo.com. I've also posted info on the Wisconsin Silkie Breeders Club. Enjoy!

My Pet Chicken Facebook Adoption!

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted! I've been busy, busy, busy and tired!

Today I have some quick, exciting news to share...My Pet Chicken often posts emergency adoptions on their Facebook page for chicks that were ordered by someone who has cancelled their order. Today, there was an adoption post for 10 assorted, sexed, female Silkie chicks. The original order was $150+ dollars; however, since I won the adoption for these ladies, I'll pay only $70 (including the shipping). I've been contemplating adding to my Silkie flock and this sealed the deal for me. Knowing I'll be getting females made it even easier. I've told Travis that he's already taken care of both my birthday and Christmas presents for this year (thanks dear)!

If you ever want to start a flock, checking for these last-minute adoption deals from MPC is a great way to save. Usually they discount these orders by 50%. Find them on Facebook here. Just be sure you've got a brooder set up and ready to go! Check out my Brooder Basics post for great tips on getting started!