Eggs! I've got eggs!!!
The girls were in bad shape but after a few weeks of good food, and daily free range runs around the yard they look plumb (nope not going to eat "My girls" either) . They all have names so can't eat what you name and they are pets. I never expected to get eggs either as I thought these were "spent hens" which means hens past their prime egg laying days. Nope didn't matter about that as in the few weeks I've had them, each has shown me their unique personalities. Abby is the Rhode Island Red who forages more than the others and is always the first out the gate - the others follow. Her feathers gleam and her crown is now bright red, unlike before which was very pale (which supposedly is a key to their health). Betty is the most beautiful ( A Red star, like her other 2 sisters) she has red and white feathers and is the one that follows me most around the yard. Stopping directly infront of me and stares. Cindy is a follower and will go where Abby and Betty are. If they get a tad out of sight or I do...she flaps her wings and runs (it's so goofy- I can't help but laugh) Dorothy - the littlest one who beats to a different drummer and who often wonders away. She ducks and runs full speed at overhead noises so I wonder if she ever had a run in with a hawk or something. She also doesn't like her feet to touch the ground it appears as he lifts them way high when she walks..very cartoonish walk. So after weeks of care my girls started laying eggs! Now I can say YUM as they are 100% range free from healthy chickens. I can't tell you what a thrill it is for a city girl like me to get fresh eggs in the morning. (Not counting when I lived on a farm until I was 5). Sigh eggs...I got eggs!  |
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whoo- hoo!  who knew chickens had personalities? |
| This is so very very exciting!!! I am so proud of you and your girls! |
| Wow! That is exciting! Enjoy! |
| Cindy |
Scrambled, poached or yummy french omelette   When I saw the post title, "Eggs, I've got eggs" I thought OMG Mazza is going through IVF  Well done with the Chooks  |
 Just a little care to return them to health.....this is your reward. Fortunately with shorter days they won't be abundantly laying eggs, but how wonderful to have the freshies! |
| See what wonderful care and love can do. Enjoy them, you earned them. |
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| That is so fun! Todd and our grandkids love going on egg hunts. They are so proud to bring them to Grandma  I have friends (dog friend of course - bassets) who live in Duluth (on Lake Superior) who started a city flock of hens this summer. They are just getting pullet eggs now, and are so excited. They have 12 "girls" - all are named too! I think chickens and eggs are one of life's simple pleasures.  |
 How about some more pictures? |
| I LOVE eggs! What fun! Now, my questions is... if you can figure who gave which egg, do they have their own different tastes or do they all taste the same? |
Hint of Mischief wrote: :banana: I LOVE eggs! What fun! Now, my questions is... if you can figure who gave which egg, do they have their own different tastes or do they all taste the same? Yep, they will taste the same. However, the taste of your eggs can vary by what you feed them, so if they had different diets, you could get a slightly different taste. Regular production chickens in most of the US eat a diet heavy in corn, so the yolks are yellow. In parts of Canada, the predominant grain is wheat and the yolks are more pale. Free range usually are a pretty yellow, from eating insects and stuff. |
| "Free range usually are a pretty yellow, from eating insects and stuff" dawn, thanks. please describe stuff. just kiddin.  |
| That is interesting-I had no idea why yolks would be different colours. I noticed the ones in Europe were much more yellow than the ones here in Canada, almost orange. I wonder what they feed chickens there! |
| I envy you guys living in rural land! Congrads... |
| Congrats! Only you Marianne! |
Mady wrote: That is interesting-I had no idea why yolks would be different colours. I noticed the ones in Europe were much more yellow than the ones here in Canada, almost orange. I wonder what they feed chickens there! See my post 2 replies above your original question post... |
| Even before I had had my chickens I never purchased anything other than range free eggs. Meaning these chickens had a better quality of life and while the eggs cost only a fraction more - THE TASTE IS SO SUPERIOR IT'S WELL WORTH THE COST! The yolks almost appear orange to me compared to pale yellow of battery hens who don't have access to free range. Once you taste range free eggs I swear you'll never want to eat the others again. Range Free eggs are labled on the box. The color of the shells has nothing to do with the taste but the breed of hens depends on the colors of eggs they hatch. Rhode Island Reds and Red Stars like mine lay large brown eggs. Well I tried my eggs this morning...Oh YUM! I shared them with Gilligan who also was thrilled at the taste as he ate a plateful. It seems many cities are allowing even city folk to keep chickens. They are quiet, easy to care for and provide fresh eggs daily, other than when they are molting (which happens in the Fall)No need for Roosters for a hen to lay eggs (which most people don't realize) Most city bylaws don't allow Roosters as they are noisy and only needed if you want the eggs to fertilize and hatch chicks. I highly recommend anyone that is interested to do research first as with any animal. YouTube has a wealth of information and there exist a great Chicken site (much like the OES site for people to learn about their dogs) is called ChickenCrossing.org Hens usually lay once daily so I get aprox 4 eggs per day which is enough. Like most birds they wake up at dawn and like to be inside by dusk. This is the funny part - During the day the girls are kept in a dog run so they have room to forage and are free to roam without fear of predators. I let them out twice daily to free range in the yard (Merlin, Panda, Snoop and Gilligan are kept indoors for those periods) but don't harrass them when they are in the dog run. Overtime with supervision I'll see how they react but will have to do it one on one so as not to tempt fate. We placed a large dog house in the run as we didn't have a coop and while it's not perfect the girls appear to not mind too much. So there you have it...chickens who live in a dog run and sleep in a dog house! I'm in the process of building a proper coop for them so the dog house is temp. Here's Betty enjoying foraging in the yard and the rays of the sun beaming down on her gives her the appearance of being an angel.  Cindy who also has beams shining down on her, although the weather was quite cool.  ] |
| That is so cool Marianne. Really cool pic of Betty. Thank you for sharing your chicks with us. |
| The girls look great!! I'm confident you can get your dogs to leave them alone when out. Ours are out 24/7, and self return to their roosts in the barn as night. We even taught our cat (who is a bird catching pro) that the little chicks are off limits. We were doubtful it could happen, but he learned they are "family" and not to catch and eat them! Good boy Tipup! We are in the country - but my urban friends with chickens have the same laws in their cities - hens are OK, but no roosters. |
| Interesting! I want chickens! But I'm all out of cash due to not working, and we have at least 4 foxes living in the immediate area. I do love eggs though, and the yolks are very yellow here in the UK, I always buy free range Marianne, you make me want to convert my house and garden into a sanctuary. Alas, I would be rubbish at it, I can barely commit to feeding Rufus & Greebo, they have to remind me sometimes  |
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