So egg-cited..!

Here is my day: up at 6 AM, feed and water the pigs, pony, chickens, duck and rabbit. Feed and milk the goats. Carefully store the goat milk in sterilized jars. Tidy the kitchen, feed the dogs, make breakfast, shower, dress go to work. At work I groom 10 or so animals. Then I come home, feed/water and exercise dogs, start supper, feed and water chickens, pigs and pony. Milk and feed goats. Check the garden and pick anything that is ripe. Make yogurt from the goat milk. Finish cooking supper, eat, do dishes, then go check on all the animals, taking time to enjoy them and just BE in the quiet evening. My days are full of activity and joy. As I went to tuck the chickens in for the night I noted that the coop needs a good cleaning and that there was something that didn't belong there under the roost. I looked more closely and there was a very small egg half buried in the shavings. What is so thrilling about a very small egg? you might wonder. This little ovoid tells me that the new layers that arrived as golf ball-sized chicks at the end of March are now beginning to lay! The first eggs from layers are always rather small, and are often laid somewhere other than the nest boxes. It is early for the new birds to begin to lay, I would have been delighted if I had a few eggs by the end of August. This little brown beauty tells me that my egg production is about to increase, and that makes me SO egg-cited! My chickens bring me a lot of pleasure. I love to see them exploring the yard, catching bugs, scratching about. And those eggs? They are a treat to find and taste so good! I waited a long time to add chickens to my life. They were worth the wait!