Eggs, Eggs Everywhere!

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Growing up on a farm as a child afforded many wonderful experiences.  Meaningful experiences that shaped my values and inspired me.  I remember when I was about 6 or 7 years old, my dad decided that it would be nice to have fresh milk and eggs.  So, he bought a Holstein cow named Bessie and ordered chicks.  I remember sitting in our living room early in the morning before school with an old towel on my lap, carefully cradling a warm, fuzzy chick in my hands–marveling at its tiny body and feet as well as the soft, little sounds it made.  Every morning over the next 2-3 weeks, I would hurriedly get dressed and eat breakfast so that I could hold one for a few minutes before the school bus came.  I loved those little chicks!

As the chicks grew into hens, they would free range all through the pastures and even around the house; but, for some reason, though, they didn’t like to lay their eggs in the coop.  Much to my surprise and joy, I would walk along outdoors, and just FIND an egg laying out in the yard or under a bush. It was like an Easter egg hunt!  After making the discovery that the hens were laying eggs ALL OVER the place, I remember enthusiastically running into the house and searching for my Easter basket.  “This is going to be fun!,” I thought.  And it was. The hens free-ranged and laid their eggs everywhere:  around the house, in the yard, through the alfalfa fields, and even in my Granddaddy Rieley’s vegetable garden next door.  I would spend the whole afternoon walking around the yard, checking under bushes and looking in the pasture and garden for eggs.  I still remember the sheer thrill and satisfaction when I found one.

Although I was having the best time, my dad didn’t take the same view of the hens’ anti-coop attitude toward egg-laying; or, their free-ranging forays into Granddaddy’s unfenced, vegetable garden, where they left plenty of pecked tomatoes in their wake.  By late fall, my dad had endured enough of these wayward hens and decided that it was time to re-home them.  I tried to talk him out of it, but that didn’t work.  So, I begged to keep “just one.”  But he said, “No, the hen would be lonely and miss the others.”  So, I had to accept that my beloved hens were leaving.  Early one Saturday morning, a neighboring farmer and friend of my dad’s came to collect them.  I stood and watched the truck with my hens ride-off down the driveway; I was heartbroken.  The hens that I had lovingly held as chicks and watched grow into critters that created daily Easter egg hunts for me were gone.

But here’s the thing:  I had enjoyed little time with the hens, but the experience had left a BIG impression, and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity.  Farming is a chance to observe and appreciate the simplicity and beauty of seemingly small things.  The seed that is carefully placed in the soil that quickly becomes a seedling, a plant, and then matures to bring forth a ripe tomato or a hearty zucchini; or, the fragile chick growing into a beautiful hen that one day produces eggs that a little girl finds such joy in collecting.  Not only is there a serenity and satisfaction in the cultivation of a garden or the caring for an animal, but there is almost a daily reminder of the miracle of life.  It was in part due to growing up on a farm as well as my brief encounter with the hens that inspired me to have my own little patch.  A place to raise sheep and chickens, plant a garden, and grow.

 

Categories: Chicken Keeping

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  1. We always had chickens when I was a kid. I treasure some of those memories. Beautifully written and thoughtful.

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    • Thank you for reading my latest post. I think the issue with my dad’s hens was that he’d built their nest boxes too high (several feet off the floor). We’ve really been fairly fortunate that most of our hens lay in the nest boxes with the exception of one. We had an Americana hen that loved to fly over the poultry net fencing and walk over to the sheep barn. She’d find a big, round bale of hay to make a little nest to lay her eggs. However, once we moved the hens to another pasture with a higher fence, it wasn’t a problem. When our hens initially began laying, we made sure their nest boxes were in a safe place, a few inches above the floor. Also, we have enough nest boxes, at least one box for every four hens. We’ve read that putting golf balls or wooden/ceramic eggs inside nest boxes encourages the hens to lay eggs there, too. We furnish each nest box with plenty of hay so that it’s comfortable and the eggs are protected. The other thing we’ve noticed is that most of our hens usually lay their eggs in the mornings. So, you may want to leave your hens in the coop area until late morning, letting them out to free range in the afternoon. I hope this is helpful. Good luck!! 🙂

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  4. Reblogged this on fourth generation farmgirl and commented:

    This time of year always reminds me of baby chicks. Farmguy and I were visiting our local feed store to pick up more grain and supplies for our sheep and chickens about a week ago, when I noticed folks at the store getting ready for the spring shipment of chicks. Large galvanized tubs containing shavings, feeders, and waterers filled a small nursery area surrounded by square bales of hay. Posters explaining availability of various breeds of sweet, colorful chicks were displayed prominently. I felt like a child in a candy store. There were so many beautiful choices, and I stood for a while staring at all the pictures of cute, fuzzy chicks. Right as I was about to mention getting a few more, Farmguy looked at me, shaking his head, and said, “NO, I know what you’re thinking.” To which I responded, “You DO NOT. I was only about to ask if we need more cat food.” 😉

    The following post is about a few beloved childhood memories of my first experience with keeping chickens.

    Have a great day!!

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  8. Such a precious little girl you were. ♡ This post was filled with sweet memories. I like your holding the baby chock so carefully. Did y’all figure out why those hens were not laying in the nests? Were they smart and figured out hiding the eggs is best? 😉

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