Can’t explain my eggcitement!

We got our hens on St. Patty’s Day and I knew they would start producing in early July if we were lucky.  On one hand, I thought it was pretty amazing that at only 14-16 weeks old some hens can start laying eggs.  On the other hand, July seemed like forEVER away!

Mid-June, I started scouring the internet to learn more about how to tell when the hens would start producing.  I opened their nesting box up for business.  I put a golf ball in the nesting box to encourage them to lay there.  (Yes, a golf ball…)  I started checking the nesting box a couple times a day.  I searched the bushes around the coop where they like to spend the hot part of the day…just in case.  I sat and watched their behavior.  I went back online and read more.  Mostly, I waited in anticipation.

Last week, I noticed the rooster mounting one of the hens.  I noticed even more that she was a willing participant in the activity.  So…I went online again and read that when a hen allows a rooster to mount her…you can eggspect an egg within one week.  One week!  ACK!

The kids and I are going to visit an old friend of mine (like I’ve known her a long time, not like she is old…) and I figured the first egg would come when we were away.  Hubby will be here, but something tells me he wouldn’t be nearly as eggcited as I.

Tonight, I went out to lock the hens in their coop.  I looked in the nesting box and there were 2 golf balls inside!  Wait!  That’s not a golf ball, it’s an egg!!  I could hardly contain myself!  I ran in the house “We have an egg!!  We have an egg!!”  The kids ran down stairs, we all hooped and hollered.  I egged them on.  It was eggstordinary.

Sorry, you’re probably getting pretty cracked with me.  I don’t want your brain to scramble with anticipation.  Here is an eggcelent picture:

How Eggciting!

I was so proud of our little layer.  Isn’t it just eggsquisite?  Truly Grade A.  I just can’t eggsplain how cracked I am about it all.  Maybe I’m being a little eggcessive.

Anyhoo..

Here’s some updated pics of the flock…they don’t pose well, so there are a few pics…

Pepper (on the left) and Brenda…

Pepper and Brenda

This is Clover.  She is the only white hen who we can identify because she has a couple black spots on her back.  We got the chickens on St. Patty’s Day, so one of them had to be named in honor of the holiday, right?

Clover

The orange-ish hen is named Ginger because she’s the only red-head in the bunch.  Isn’t she fluffy and beautiful!  She’s my favorite.

Ginger

There are 3 white hens who we can’t differentiate.  I call them all Whitey…

I am pretty sure the one on the right is the egg-maker.  Goooo Whitey!

The Whities

And, finally, our rooster….named Roo…again, not very original.  Here he is eating some spaghetti…

Handsome little bugger, isn’t he?  They love spaghetti.  And yogurt…yogurt is their favorite, but they are quite messy…

Yogurt!

I hope you aren’t scrambled with all these chicken pictures.  I wouldn’t want to make anyone feel hard-boiled.  And, most of all, I hope you can take a yoke.