There's an old feed bucket that hangs in the barn. The chickens occasionally use it as a nest so Tom put some hay in to make it a bit softer. The egg on the left was laid by one of the new chickens. The one on the right was laid by one of the older chickens. In a couple weeks, the young ones' eggs will be the same size.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Today's picture/First egg
There's an old feed bucket that hangs in the barn. The chickens occasionally use it as a nest so Tom put some hay in to make it a bit softer. The egg on the left was laid by one of the new chickens. The one on the right was laid by one of the older chickens. In a couple weeks, the young ones' eggs will be the same size.
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It is odd that two different chickens are using the same nest. What a deep nest in that bucket too. I love your header photo. A handsome beast.
ReplyDeleteLisa, not odd at all around here. They have the run of the whole barn so can lay anywhere they want. You should hear the ruckus sometimes when one wants the nest the other is in.
ReplyDeleteMy Sadie thanks you. She hadn't been the blog header for a while, and it was time!
Your dog looks very much like mine in that picture.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Oh, Ann, tell me more! Sadie is part Lab/part Rottweiler. There's more of her story here, if you are interested:
ReplyDeletehttp://lettersfromahillfarm.blogspot.com/2007/02/sadie.html
And she's around the blog in other places, too. :<)
Natural eggs. I envy you. What muffins you must make. To get natural in my city I have to go downtown to buy them from the Amish at the Farmers' Market. Oh, those big yellow yokes- What other animals do you keep? A cow or pigs?
ReplyDeleteSadie is so pretty; I'd just love to hug her. I can never keep my hands off of big dogs.
ReplyDeleteBetsy, we have two goats, six sheep, one donkey, and maybe 25 chickens. Strictly to keep the pastures clear. We don't eat anybody. Vegetarian farmers. :<)
ReplyDeleteBarbara, Sadie thanks you, but sadly she would have to bite you if you hugged her. She adores four people. That's it. The rest of the people she views as our enemies. I put a link on my note back to Ann, if you'd like to read more about my dear Sadie.
I love that your chickens like the bucket. I haven't tried that. We have eight chickens and only two nest boxes. They seem to share nicely. I can't eat any of the chickens or other animals we grow either. I'm not a vegetarian. It's just that they become good pals.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I really adore chickens. I love their sounds. I love the way they all line up near the ceiling of the barn when it's time for bed. I love that they offer food without losing their lives. We don't have any designated nest boxes. But they tend to use certain places for a while, and then move on. Sometimes if we can't find any eggs, we know there is a stash in a new place.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize they laid different sized eggs as they grew older. Eggs in a bucket sounds like a children's story :)
ReplyDeleteSusan, it's just that the first eggs are small. Sorta like practice eggs. :<) That's an adorable children's book title.
ReplyDeleteWe have a whole new flock (no predators yet - all summer!) but no eggs yet either. I am guessing your chickens are responding to your personal warmth.
ReplyDeleteI love that the hens have such a great area to roam in -- and that is a great place for a nest -- they chose pretty well!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first comment -- your dog is beautiful and that's a lovely header shot.
I can really see the Rottie in your pup. Two wonderful breeds crossed there...
ReplyDeleteYou publish more posts about your chickens - I'd love to see what 'raising chickens' actually looks like.
My three Peckatinis (the new hens) are due to start laying at any moment. I spend a lot of time arranging nests for them, just in case they haven't gotten the idea. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI love your new header and having all your eggs in the same bucket. Couldn't help myself, sorry. It is so wonderful to hear that your chickens have the run of the barn, Nan. I love hearing about your Hill Farm and your care of the land and its creatures. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIs the difference in size the only way you knew that one of the eggs was a "practise" one from one of the younger chickens, or how do you know which of your chickens has laid which egg?
ReplyDeleteI remember the original post well, I so liked the picture of the baby chicks!
Chickens are funny creatures, but I love eggs. Love your dog, too. I can only have a virtual dog because of allergies.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the post on the Billy Boyle book. Someone told me about them a long time ago, but they didn't like them. I am going to have to get one and give it a try after your nice post. I like that you refer to books as book reports not reviews. Do you mind if I copy that?
KSV, ours were born in May and they usually begin laying in September-October. We've never had trouble with predators (knock on wood) but that may be because they are with the barn animals, and the fence is electric, so-called predator proof.
ReplyDeleteSadie thanks you, Sallie. :<) The hens just lay wherever they want!
Debbie, there are bits about the chickens here and there on the blog. There's not much we do. Buy chicken feed. Pick up eggs.
Clair, it's a wonderful thing having your own eggs. For one thing, you can always eat batter without worrying about some battery hens' salmonella!
And thank you, Penny for such nice words. Honestly, Tom does all the work, but there isn't too much of it. The winters are hardest when he hauls water from the outdoor faucet at the house out to the barn. I wish we'd set up water in the barn when we first had it built in 1988.
Librarian, when we see a little egg like that we know the new chickens are beginning to lay. In just a while they'll all be the same size. Some of them never even lay small ones. A chicken mystery. And with 20+ chickens we have no idea who lays what egg or even who are the old hens and who are the young.
Alex, there are a lot of different breeds and these Dominiques, some say 'American's first breed' are mellow, easy keepers. They are hardy in our cold weather and are long-lived.
I think there are dogs that don't cause allergies. Didn't the Obama family have to deal with that problem??
I'll be interested to hear what you think about Billy B. Who knows what makes someone like a book or not?
Of course you can use book report!! I actually have a little post made up explaining why I say report instead of review.
Yum! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat photo of Sadie!
She thanks you, Les. :<)
ReplyDeleteI miss my chickens. Thought of getting a few but Callie might bother or would bother them and would have to have a small shelter built. Have all that one woman can do at the moment :)
ReplyDeleteLove your header - he is so handsome.
Ernestine, you do indeed have plenty going on!
ReplyDeleteSadie thanks you!