It’s the second week of January, and finally the hens have started laying again after months of channeling all their egg-laying energies into growing some of the loveliest feathers we’ve ever seen. Seriously, these hens (and rooster Speck, who, happily, seems to have gotten the hens’ message about nonconsensual sex, and has stopped mounting them) are looking better than an Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it!
But we are really happy to have eggs again.
For the last few months as we’ve been eggless, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to buy grocery store eggs. We hate that store-bought eggs are washed and clean, removing the natural protective coating that helps them stay fresh, even without refrigeration! Plus, once you’ve had an hours-old egg—even if the shell is smeared with mud—you just can’t go back to store-bought.
Though this lovely lone tan egg (above) laid by our Buff Orpington bruiser Poppy (or “Buffy,” depending on who you ask) is one small reminder of longer days and spring’s ultimate return, it’s tough to get too excited when we see two- and three-degree lows in the forecast for early next week.
Oh well. It’s that kind of January weather that makes us grateful for spring—even as today we enjoy nearly 50 degrees, high winds, rain and the boot-high mud that comes with it. Surely next week’s single-digit temps will freeze today’s muddy mess. Then we’ll have different things to complain about.
Much of farm life is about challenges and extremes. In a few months, we’ll be back to giving away dozens of eggs at a time. But for now, this single, slightly muddied tan egg makes it feel like Thanksgiving. And that the flock is now fully feathered is just gravy.
—SK
Ranch 61 