November 29, 2010

Eggcellent!

This past summer my husband decided it would be fun to raise chickens.  I wasn't so sure about it, but agreed as long as they were kept in a pen and their house was cute.  So surfacey, I know.  To see how he built a GORGEOUS hen house click here
Well, our girls are growing beautifully.  They love people, too.  When we get near the pen, they follow us around.  Actually 3 of the 4 do.  One of the hens is socially inept.  Too bad she doesn't belong to a hoity-toity family.  They might invest in some socialization therapy.   We'll just hope she learns from her social sisters and doesn't get labeled by the public school system.
I stepped inside the pen to get these pictures and they thought my shoestring was the best thing since, well, cracked corn.
See how beautiful Henrietta is looking these days?  She's an "Easter Egger" which means her eggs will be blue, green or pink.

Last week, one of the Red Stars gave us a special surprise:
Our first egg.  
Within the first week we collected 8 eggs and those are just from two of the four hens!  So far no easter eggs, but we are waiting expectantly!

I get a little squeamish about stuff, so I told my husband that I would have to wait until the "production line" had been in full swing for a little while before I would have the nerve to eat the eggs.  Am I being weird?

When we cooked our first two eggs this is what we found in the pan:
A message from God telling me to smile; or just a really happy egg white?

And no, I didn't change the color of the picture.  The yolks are truly that orange/yellow, apparently the telltale sign of a really fresh egg.   
I hear that fresh eggs are the BEST to bake with.  Have you ever tried fresh-from-the-farm eggs?

14 comments:

Joy for the Seasons said...

That is so cool! My grandparents had a farm here many moons ago with pigs, cows, and chickens so I am sure I had fresh everything when I was there. But probably not since I was 8!

emily bennett said...

do you cook with your camera around your neck? i'm impressed with the egg white picture- that was fast photography!!

never have used fresh from farm eggs... my daughter's speech teacher raises chickens and told me she'd bring me some eggs if i wanted them... it just weirds me out a titch... do they taste good?

Anonymous said...

My future mother-in-law has a huge chicken pen in her backyard and uses them ALL the time. And it is true, the fresher the egg the more moist the cake! Bon apetite'

Angie said...

The freshest eggs I've had are from the Durham Farmer's Market. They say they are just a few days old. I will say the fresh ones taste so much better- as well as having better feed than the mass produced ones!

Little Oak Table said...

that pan looked like the ghost of christmas past, haha!

you are so right, those are the brighest yolks i've ever seen, it makes you wander about the stuff we buy in the sto.

about my tube top cooking post, i was just a jokin' around because giada on everyday italian (food network) dresses really non-baptisty on her show. i really want to buy her a cami everytime she's on. :)

Amy said...

Yes ma'am......we have our own chickens....just three right now, but a few years back we had quite a few....so many so that we were selling/sharing our eggs with family & friends! They are THE best!!

Carpool Queen said...

So fun - I bet the eggs are delicious!

Unknown said...

Love it! I love eggs! How fun for your kids too!

Jenn A said...

I used to help collect eggs at my grandfather's farm when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago. We ate them fresh then, but I haven't had fresh eggs for a very long time. Looks kind of fun!

Richella Parham said...

Fresh eggs are SO RICH. They taste a little different, but it's a good taste.

My sister has a number of laying hens, and her little boy just loves collecting the eggs. I hope you enjoy your farm-fresh goodness!

Mom said...

Not yet, but as soon as my "neighbor's" other hens start laying, I hope to....
Henrietta is really getting beautiful!

Diane Meyer said...

I am the same squeamish way with eggs. And turkeys, apparently.
My sis-in-law grew us a nice turkey this year and I discovered that I have weird feelings about home grown fowl.
I can't explain it.
Oh, well.

Kellie said...

That is awesome! I can't recall having fresh eggs, but my BIL has hens and loves the eggs from them. Loved the smile. :)

Linda said...

Your "ladies" are georgous, especially Henniretta! My grandma always had chickens and I loved them and their eggs. I think my honey and I are going to get some this spring. I enjoy your blog.