It's Been a Long Time

Not much time to blog, lately, but wanted to post an update.  Just incase you haven't been keeping up with my blog, on July 1st my husband and I purchased 4 young hens and are raising them in a suburban neighborhood. All were coming of age and were supposed to be laying any day, but as the days went by still no eggs. I grew impatient until our Black Maran hen, named Blackie, was the first to lay an egg on Sept. 10th!  So the most recent and new news, is that a few weeks ago, on Oct. 10th, (exactly one month later!!!) our White Americauna hen, Betty White, started laying. Whoo hoo! So exciting for us! It's the little things. :) So now, knock on wood, we get two eggs almost everyday. We look forward to checking the nest boxes for eggs.  Betty W. lays a beautiful bluish/green egg and it looks so beautiful next to Blackie's dark brown egg.  Betty's first egg was very small, but now they are a normal size egg. It is a fun to think that maybe our other two will start laying any day now. Although, they show no signs or interest in laying right now. The funny thing is, even when you have little experience with chickens, you kind of know when one might start laying. They start to get more vocal and will go in and check out the nest boxes often. When this happens, then you know an egg is probably coming soon. We have a big grey Cochin hen, named Baby, and she has to be everywhere that Betty White is. I think this relationship started when we first got our hens, Blackie and especially, Meany (where the name comes from) always pecked and clawed at poor baby. She was the smallest and youngest hen at the time. We really worried for her survival, but Betty White always came to her rescue and got attacked many times for the sake of poor Baby. It was really sweet. Thankfully, all of our hens are BFF's now, but Betty W. and Baby remain inseparable. Whatever one does, the other does, too. I thought Baby might start laying soon, because she follows Betty to the nest box and sits in the nest box beside her when she lays an egg. But Baby has not become vocal and she only goes to the nest box when Betty does, so I guess she is only there for moral support right now. I'm afraid that if Baby and Meanie don't start laying very soon then it will be Spring before all four are laying, as I hear that egg laying becomes sparse in the wintertime. So, this is the latest and greatest regarding my suburban chickens! So many more things to write. One being an email to share that I recently received from my friend who runs a farm in Austria. A very interesting one regarding her chickens laying in the winter. Stay tuned!