So, last week, husband and I decide to dismantle the old dog house that sits next to the chicken coop. You'll remember that one of the girls likes to lay her eggs in the very narrow space between those two things, so getting rid of the dog house was a good idea. Not to mention it was full of creepy crawly things that even the chickens didn't seem to want. So, there was a piece of plywood propped up against the old doghouse...guess what we found? More eggs...those sneaky girls. So we took care of those hiding places...made for an awesome fire in our firepit. The chickens do not like the fire...must be some sort of inbred fear of very hot things...(think KFC). We also decided that the girls and boys have had too much freedom...they have not been very conscientious about laying eggs in the condos...it's almost as if they are like little kids who wet their pants because they are too busy playing. They spend their time running around looking for bugs and avoiding the boys and suddenly the urge comes over them and plop! There is an egg!! Or two or three...ugh. So the plan is to keep them "cooped up" until late afternoon and then let them out to forage for a few hours before dark. It's been somewhat successful...not as many eggs (5-6 daily), but the surprises have diminished. Although one idiot came out of the coop, went straight to the Blazer, dropped an egg, which cracked on the metal surface. This was actually observed, so the egg went immediately into the frying pan.
Just a quick note on eating eggs from your own chickens...YUM!! I have to admit, I was leery of eating something that I actually witnessed exiting the rear end of a chicken. Now, I'm not sure that I will ever enjoy a store bought egg again. There is just something extra delicious about a freshly laid egg. I thought they'd be a bit...well...gross. The eggs have the most beautiful colored yolk...orangey rather than yellow...and they cook up like a dream. The whites stay fairly firm and don't spread out as much as store bought eggs. The flavor? Buttery...not gamey at all. I'm curious to see how they add to the flavor when baking something. I wonder if eating fresh raw eggs is safe...I know they tell you not to eat raw store bought eggs, but the batter of most baked goods usually tastes better than the finished product...think chocolate chip cookie dough. I thnk I'll research it before I put my insides to the test. No need to ruin a perfectly good day with that nonsense. Okay, so that wasn't really a "quick note"...honestly, did you expect it to be? By the way, below you will see a picture of two of our freshly laid eggs cooking.
I had to throw this photo in too...ground beef hash with scrambled eggs and potatoes...yum!
Now, the best part of letting the chickens roam the yard is the comedic value they present. The other day, we were all sitting in the living room watching tv. Suddenly the yellow rooster appeared in front of the screen door. Kind of just crept up to it. The Ninja cat was right behind him and looked like she was telling him all about the land known as "Inside" and how to gain entrance. He got rather excited when I got up off the couch, but he beat a hasty retreat when he realized that I was going to slam the glass door shut...possibly with him in it. Not too long after that, 2 hens sprinted across the deck being chased by a rather amorous rooster (this sort of X-rated activity happens all the time...a bit disturbing to watch). The speed with which they moved across the deck was hilarious. A short time later, they sprinted back, again being chased by Thunder who had less than noble intentions with the fair maidens. It's like watching a cartoon... A phrase often muttered in our house is, "Was that a chicken?" Finally...the garden. More specifically, the beginnings of the garden...seeds...I decided that I'd better get busy with my plan of growing seeds. I went to Tractor Supply (if they would just annex the grocery store, I would have very little reason to shop anywhere else...okay, Target) and bought one of those plastic seed starter contraptions and some soil mix designed for seeds. After some confusion on my part, as to which seeds to plant, how many in each cell, etc., I followed the directions (!!) and planted peas, beans, and some herbs. Put the lid on the thing and placed it on the dryer. A couple of days later, I was at Walmart and got sucked in to the pretty seed packet display and managed to purchase more seeds...squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more herbs. Back to Tractor Supply to get another plastic greenhouse. Planted all of those seeds and painstakingly labeled all the cells on the outside of the lid. Even made a paper map...of course, that was followed up by me turning the bottom around and around while I watered it, so now I'm not sure which end is which. Hopefully when they sprout, I'll recognize something. The first little greenhouse has already sprouted some peas...yay!
My seed project...
This weekend? Rototilling...I hope. 
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