Sunday, May 1, 2011

first egg


Saturday morning, before Chris or my parents (who are visiting) were awake, I went out to sit with the birds. Coach has "gone broody" and I found her sitting in the nest, which is where she'll stay the entire day, if we don't bump her out. She's trying to hatch an egg, even when there isn't one to hatch. The key is to get her back up on the roost to sleep there instead of in the nest. Not an easy task.

That morning I bumped Coach out of the nest, to find the first egg sitting perfectly in the pine shavings. The egg wasn't hers-it was Spicy's egg (pale blue), and it was perfectly clean and almost hot. I brought the egg in and woke Chris up just to show him. I couldn't believe she had started laying again so quickly after the stress of the move.

I wrapped the egg in saran wrap and put it in the fridge. Rinsing a fresh egg removes the "bloom" that preserves freshness. An egg can actually stay fresh for 3 months if it doesn't dry out. Refrigerators tend to dry things out, so you've got about 5 weeks in there. (Of all of the chicken books I own, I'd be lost without Story's Guide).
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