Dreaming of Spring

This time last year I had seedlings an inch or two tall, hundreds of them dispersed over three folding tables under grow lights in my family room.  My family was none too thrilled with me.  The house smelled of damp earth…heavenly to me, like to dirt to everyone else.

Maybe because the weather has been so uninspiring or perhaps much of my enthusiasm has been dolled out to the chickens, regardless, I’m just now starting my vegetable seeds indoors for spring planting.  I’ve promised my family I won’t over take the family room this year, so I’m being prudent about which seeds to start.  Initially I was a little worried that getting such a late start would be a bad thing, but I’ve decided that last year’s plants were kinda big for transplant…many root bound and the tomatoes definitely outgrew their pots.  I had a poor tomato crop, so maybe this is a good thing that I’m getting a later start than I planned.

This morning, I sterilized the plastic starter pots, am soaking the organic seed starter soil mix and have the seed packets spread out on the kitchen table attempting to prioritize those who need to be planted now under the waiting grow lights.  It is a daunting decision…really! 

With tempting names like Red Currant, Polish Linguista, and Red Zebra…I started all the tomatoes!  And I couldn’t resist the Lemondrop Basil.  Of course, ignoring the peppers was impossible, so Giant Marconi, Early Crisp and Ancho are safely nestled in their dirt beds ready to germinate!  Black Beauty and Fairy Tale eggplant as well as the Tomatillo Gigante are also currently enjoying a solar bed experience!  In the next few weeks tiny seedlings should start to poke their heads through the soil and then I’ll know Spring is truly just around the corner.

Great Eggs-pectations!

Maybe because my baby girl, Jessie, is graduating from High school in a few short weeks and I’m looking for something to fill the void of her leaving for college, or maybe I’m looking for something needing a little nurturing…Either way, I don’t think my daughter would be too thrilled to know that my chickens are her replacement!  I am finding keeping chickens incredibly rewarding.  I had no idea how much fun they could be and no idea how satisfying it is to find eggs in the nest boxes.  I love my dogs, too, but the “gifts” I get from them aren’t as tangible. The dogs love and worship me, protect me, keep me company and from becoming a slug by getting me outside, and cost me lots of money in vet and food bills and I can’t imagine my life without them.  The chickens, however, don’t love me unconditionally (I don’t think they do, anyway.), don’t protect me, don’t keep me company and cost me a lot less money than my dogs, so far.  The “gifts” they give me, however, are organic, rich, nutritious, healthy eggs.  I’m just thrilled!

Three of the girls are laying almost daily, and Anna, the Polish chicken has yet to begin laying. I know this not because I am keeping watch, although I am a little, but because Anna’s eggs will be white when she does begin laying and the Silver Wyandotte’s are brown.  I’m only collecting brown eggs right now. I am sure Anna isn’t yet laying because my husband is putting pressure on her by telling her she needs to start “earning her keep”.  Two of the girls are laying in the nest boxes but one doesn’t seem to realize she is laying eggs, yet, and just randomly drops them wherever she happens to be standing.  I’m hoping it won’t be too long before she does what the others are doing…actually going into the coop, into the nice and clean nest box and leaving little gems for me there.

Yesterday, as I was showing off the girls to my son’s friend, Amanda, one of the girls marched into the coop, took up residence in a nest box and laid one right there before our eyes.  I couldn’t believe it!  I scooped it up and handed it to Amanda, still very warm from the hen’s body.  We were both in awe!

My daily ritual of feeding the hens greens and mealworms, changing their water and filling their feeder has also become a time of anticipation and excitement at how many eggs I will be blessed with for the day.  Who knew a few hens could provide such enjoyment?

The Perfect Egg

Recently, I’ve been thinking (and blogging) about the fact that “The Girls” have yet to lay a single egg.  I’ve researched the hows and whys of egg production and have taken many suggestions to heart to encourage them to lay.

Today my routine was different.  Between the rain and the multitude of service folks in the house (locksmith fixing a broken lock, handyman painting a ceiling and the house cleaner) I didn’t get out to visit the chickens mid-morning like I usually do.  Then I ran out for an appointment and an errand so it was 5 p.m. before I went out to check on their food and water and give them their daily treat of mealworms.  I opened the door to the coop and realized the ceramic eggs I had put in their nesting boxes had all been pushed out.  But wait a minute…there’s still an egg in a nesting box…but it isn’t white like the ceramic ones…it’s brown…that’s because it’s a REAL egg!

Someone Laid An Egg! 

After months of anticipation and patience (ha!), the Perfect Egg has finally arrived! 

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

I’ll admit it…I’m not a patient person!  I want it and I want it now…always!  The “Girls”, aka The Chickens, are now about 6 months old and they still haven’t begun to lay eggs.  It could be the lack of daylight (I put a bulb in the coop that turns on at 7 a.m. and off at 8 p.m.), the cold, or they just aren’t there yet.  I even have ceramic eggs in the nest boxes to give them an idea of what I’m waiting for!  Sometimes it can take up to 8 months for them to begin laying so all hope is not lost…yet.  My husband has begun to tell them they need to start earning their keep, however.  Organic chicken feed and gourmet seeds aren’t cheap!

Chickens are characters, I’ve discovered, and they are trainable!  Once a day I take mealworms to them as a protein treat. The girls have begun to associate my voice with these yummy treats.  As I approach the coop they start clucking up a storm and pace back and forth waiting for me to enter the coop.  Once I’m in there they dance all around my feet waiting for me to scatter the little worms for them to gobble up.  I’ve begun mixing the mealworms in with fresh greens and shaved carrots so they have to work a little harder to find them. 

It has become a daily ritual that my pit bull, Hazel, accompanies me to the coop.  She finds the girls fascinating…and she loves to eat their poop!  The Polish Chicken, Anna/Nana, storms up to Hazel (with the fencing between them) every day and fiercely pecks her on the nose when she is trying to sneak spilled scratch or other delicacies.  Hazel seems stunned by this assault, but takes it in stride. .  I’m not sure what she would do if she actually got into the pen with the girls.  She may be so focused on gobbling up the droppings that she would completely ignore the hens.  I’m not planning to test that theory, however.

So for now, I’m still waiting for my first egg.  And, although it won’t actually be worth its weight in gold, it will be a prize, nonetheless!