Friday, February 10

Daily Farm Photo: 2/10/06


In This Spot. . .



A Miracle Has Occurred!

I almost fainted right there in the chicken coop. That's right. After months & months of doing everything but their one and only job around here, (almost) everybody's favorite hens, Whitey & Lindy, finally went back to laying eggs. Woohoo! (And yum!)

21 comments:

  1. Mine just started again, too - it appears to be on a rotating basis, however.

    The light! It's coming back and with it, the eggs!

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  2. I wish mine would start laying! I miss those eggs! But they're too young yet, I've got to wait until April. I started a whole new batch in October. The previous batch is in the freezer!!

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  3. Patience, my dear, is its own reward.
    "Every egg a masterpiece," that's our motto.
    Not to toot my own horn, but isn't that brown one a beaut?
    Whitey's is nice, too.

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  4. Hey, wait- homesteadherbs: Whatcha mean in the FREEZER? I know you're not freezing eggs!

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  5. I have never lived on a farm yet I am fortunate to have memories of gathering eggs in the morning for breakfast when I was a wee thing. We had two geese as pets in our backyard in the suburbs of Ohio (long story) and it was my job to hunt down eggs. Such a thrill to find them! I'm glad the thrill does not diminish with age. :)

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  6. Victory in a shell! That'll teach those other snobby little feathered things, pah! W&L just needed some TLC.

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  7. I bet the eggs in the freezer are mixed into something yummy.

    My neighbor chickens have laid all winter long -- not very much -- hit and miss alot. Now that the days are getting longer they will lay more. Look for more eggs over the next few days.. hopefully they will start a trend.

    Oh -- chickens can be clannish creatures. They will kill new additions to the flock -- even adult birds. My neighbor chickens kill all their babies and they even go after the cocky rooster who chases my cats. My neighbor says he's never seen a bunch as bad as these girls.

    Have a great day.

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  8. oh lucky you, fresh eggs! i love anticipating the coming season. congratulations!

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  9. You're taking me back to my childhood and teenage years when it was one of my chores to collect the eggs from the chicken nests in the barn. I kind of remember that with a bit of fondness.

    I also loved the picture of the sheep in an earlier post of yours. One of my brothers back then raised sheep as his hobby.

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  10. missing this activity
    collecting eggs
    tomorrow am off to the market and buy egg
    happy weekend FG

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  11. I would love to have chickens. Actually, chickens and goats. I envy you Farmgirl!

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  12. lucky you, I love the feel of warm freshly-laid eggs, it's an incredible feeling holding it in one's palms.

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  13. Susan,

    I envy your fresh eggs. I can get them but I have to plan for it and it's not convenient.

    BTW, that recipe for maple bread that I mentioned is now up: http://seriouslygood.kdweeks.com/2006/02/maple-whole-wheat-bread.html

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  14. Hi Lisa,
    That's great news! Supposedly all kinds of things can temporarily stop egg production--from being scared by fireworks to severe storms and weather changes. (Personally I think my chickens are just uppity old biddies. : )

    We do have lights on timers in the henhouses which helps with year round laying. Yes, this is not entirely natural, but hey, if we've gotta be up 16 hours a day, shouldn't they? Unfortunately Whitey & Lindy seem to have been spending the extra time doing things like creating artwork instead of creating eggs! : )

    Hi Homesteadherbs,
    It sure is tough when those fresh eggs disappear (hear that Lindy & Whitey????). We are fortunate to have a place to buy other peoples' farm eggs when our chickens aren't laying. When I used to get 100 eggs a week (those were the days), I sold the extras to our little "local" (32 miles away) natural foods store. When I'm out of eggs, I can usually find somebody else's eggs that are almost as good as mine for just $1.50 a dozen.

    Hi Lindy,
    "Every egg a masterpiece?" Oh geez. I think maybe I'd just better not say anymore right now. Wouldn't want to upset your fragile dispositions and lose production now that we finally have it!

    P.S. I don't think homesteadherbs put her eggs in the freezer either.

    P.P.S. And don't think a few eggs from you and Whitey are going to keep us from ordering a couple of dozen chicks this spring. *peep* *peep* And so cute, too!

    Hi Shannon,
    Ha ha, I loved reading about your childhood hunt for goose eggs. That must have been so much fun. And no (at least for me anyway), the thrill of finding eggs does not diminish with age!

    Hi Baking Soda,
    "Victory in a shell!" I love that! Yes! It certainly was a victory--at least a few more eggs before they head up to wreak havoc in that great henhouse in the sky.

    Okay, but wait a minute. Whitey & Lindy just needed some TLC? Some TLC? Are you kidding? That is some pampered poultry out there. I know you must be kidding.

    Hi Heather,
    Yep, chickens are not nice birds. I had no idea before I started raising them. It's downright scary. One speck of blood on a chicken in a group and, well, it's pretty gross.

    That's why we have Lindy & Whitey separate from Joe's two white "thrifty" show-off chickens. We can't put these last four hens together at age 5. I have no idea what we'll do when one dies. Let the loner live in the house, I suppose. : )

    Hi Vanessa,
    It's the little thrills that keep us going (and eating)! : )

    Hi Tim,
    So glad I could bring back some happy childhood farm memories for you. All the good times and none of the actual work when you e-visit us! : )

    Hi Sha,
    So what kind of eggs can you find in Athens?

    Hi Patti,
    No goats. No goats. Chickens and sheep! Think woolly. : )

    Hi Eatzycath,
    Yes, there is nothing like the warmth of a freshly laid egg. And I never knew until I had my own hens that when an eggs comes out, it is actually wet because it is covered with a protective coating that quickly dries. This is why, if you are going to store your eggs (eggs last for months and months), you do not want to wash them because that washes off the protective coating, thus allowing bacteria or whatever to permeate the shell.

    Another interesting fact is that as eggs get older, they lose moisture so there is less white inside an older egg than in a fresh one.

    And one more egg bit of trivia while I'm on an egg roll (sorry, couldn't resist)--it is nearly impossible to peel freshly laid eggs after they have been hard-boiled, and it is also nearly impossible to whip eggs whites for meringue when they are very fresh.

    Geez, now I want a nice plate of scrambled eggs. And lemon meringue pie. : )

    Hi Kevin,
    Hmmm. Inconvenient planning for eggs? Sounds complicated. Hey, you just moved into a new place. Why not get a couple of hens? : )

    By the way, your Maple Whole Wheat Bread looks absolutely scrumptious. Great photo! Of course now I want warm bread with my scrambled eggs and pie. : )

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  15. Hehehehe....the chickens are in the freezer!!! Not the eggs! And the chickens sure taste tasty!!

    100 eggs per week! WOW! How many hens did you have?

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  16. Please help this city girl -- what kind of hen lays the big, brown egg, and what kind of hen lays the little white egg?

    I dare not even ask which came first.....

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  17. bb: That lovely brown one is mine, thanks.

    homesteadherbie: Better make sure those chickies don't find out about the gruesome contents of yr freezer! Poultry can be very sensitive. And when we're upset, sometimes we stop laying those eggs, dear.

    susan, sweetie: The house gig sounds good; do I get an easy chair? I mean, of course, if dear Whitey should, ahem, pass before me.

    baking soda: What an understanding girl you are. Have you met Pablo?

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  18. I want to know how long farm fresh eggs last

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  19. Hi Anonymous,
    In my experience, farm fresh eggs can last for several months, although they are best when used within a month or so.

    You can also keep fresh, unwashed eggs at room temperature--they do not have to be refrigerated. If they've been washed, though, then the very thin protective coating on them has been washed off, so they must be refrigerated. (A just laid egg will actually be wet for a second or two before that coating dries.)

    Also, if eggs have been refrigerated at all (say, at the case in the natural foods store for a day or two), then they need to stay refrigerated.

    Another interesting thing about really fresh eggs is that they are very difficult to peel when you hardboil them--and the whites are nearly impossible to whip for meringue. But you can go straight from the henhouse to the omelette or frying pan--and they'll probably be the best eggs you've ever had! : )

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  20. just got my first double yolker! i am a new "chicken lady". I did not know i could store them at room temperature. For how long? Thank you, jane ann

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  21. You can generally tell the color egg that a chicken will lay by the color of their ear flap. www.cottonwoodfarmlonghorns.com

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