A tiny egg was a pleasant surprise this afternoon. The tiny egg means a young hen laid her first egg. These baby new eggs are always fun to find. It doesn’t take long before young hens lay full size eggs, which makes these tiny eggs special.
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Something Old, Something New, Something Big, Something Small
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Bees and Humans – One Thing in Common
The wonderful thing about having fruit trees is that you get to enjoy the apples, cherries, pears, and plums months before they are ripe. You first get to enjoy their fragrant flowers when they bloom, and then their fruit when it’s ripe. It’s odd when you think about it, that humans and bees, two creatures as different as possible, are both attracted to the same thing – flowers. Bees are after pollen, but do they find the flowers beautiful as well?
The sun is out this morning and many of the chickens are gathered in their favorite morning hangout, discussing the dreams they had during the night, and fluffing their feathers in the warm sunshine. Out on the pond, a pair of Canada geese are nibbling away at the duckweed. This is the first year we’ve seen Canada geese on the pond.
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On a Rainy Day
On a rainy day, the covered chicken yard is a dry place to be. It’s a chance for the hens to gossip and get caught up with what is happening. Though I think that Midge on the right has had enough of Coulette’s tales. Buttercup below is incubating eggs. See how fluffed up she is? When hens incubate eggs, they spread their bodies out. It’s a clear sign that they have gone broody and are not just laying an egg.
Chickens are so full of personality. They have the brightest eyes and are curious about everything. They all deserve to live carefree lives, enjoying the outdoors, eating grass, gorging on cherry blossom petals, scratching for worms, running about, chasing field mice, and having affairs.
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Gold Chicken
Gold is a popular color. You can get watches, iPads, iPhones, rings, necklaces, and many other trinkets in gold. But I’ve got them all topped. I’ve got a golden chicken. None of those devices lay eggs. This is dazzling Hazel with her golden feathers. On a sunny day she shines. If you’re flying to Asia from Seattle and are seated on the right side of the jet on a sunny day, look down and when you see something sparkling between Sammish Island and the Cascade foothills, it’s Hazel out enjoying the sunshine.
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King Richard Dances Under the Plum Tree
King Richard has found a spot, perfect for him, under the blooming plum tree. You can see him scratch and roll around in the dirt in the clip below.
[wpvideo pWk4ZU25]Watch him dance below and swing his comb and waddles from side to side. Roosters are the masters of bling. Are the hens behind him impressed? It’s hard to tell. I’m impressed, but I’m not a hen. They seem to be more interested in finding things to eat, though I think they find him amusing. Hens enjoy having a rooster around. It’s astonishing, but 99.99999999% of all egg laying hens never see a rooster, and yet, the essence of laying an egg is about love. Being able to flirt with roosters and tease them is an integral part of creating an egg. Do hens who have roosters to flirt with produce better eggs? Maybe not. But it does make their lives and their eggs more complete.
Is it the plum blossoms that are making King Richard dance with joy? It could be. He’s like a dancing Monet painting.
