January 28

I’ve noticed some changes in the chickens since they started laying eggs.

• They are all noisier, but Victoria squawks like the dickens. I can’t tell if it is related to egg-laying (“egg song”), if she sees predators, or if she is just cranky.
• The Australorps, Anne and Margaret, do not stick together as much as they used to. We got them together when they were a few weeks old, so they have been sisters and best buds, sticking together and, for a long time, fearful of Victoria. They still get agitated when one disappears up to the roost to lay an egg, but when they are free-ranging in the afternoon, they wander further apart than ever before.
• They have a funny new position they take when I try to pick them up. They used to run, skip and hop away, or they would be too intense eating something and not realize my hands were coming. Now they take this funny defensive position like a Sumo wrestler. They crouch (if you can call it that—they have pretty darn short legs) and cup their wings to hulk up. It makes me wonder if they are positioning to protect the “nest.” (I’ve tried to get a photo of this, but haven’t had any luck so far.)

January 30

We had our first two eggs for dinner. Hard boiled and sliced on our spinach salads. They were small and yummy–creamy and smooth, not as sulfury as store-bought eggs. But fresh eggs can be hard to peel when they are boiled–the white sticks to the shell. We will try steaming them next time.

Two fresh eggs!

January 31

Despite erratic temperatures,

chickens and flowers assure us

that Spring is on its way!

Margaret and Daffodil

***

For the mindfulness challenge at Writing Our Way Home. Thanks for the contemplation–and thanks for the fun!