The Eggs Behind "Eggs N Eats"
Admitting to how many chickens we have is something I typically try to avoid. We started out with 7 “dual purpose layers.” That’s what the feed store called ‘em. Dual purpose browns and dual purpose blacks. All I knew is that my hubby was actually on board with it, and any day he lets me get more animals is a good freakin’ day.
Though, the first year of “chicken keeping” was of nearly no interest to me. Once the fluffy, peeping, tiny, adorable chicks grew out of their cute stage, I lost interest. Sure, the large, brown, fresh eggs were great, but I just wasn’t *that* into it. And then a friend of mine, who has her own flock of chickens, brought my attention to an all-things-chicken group on Facebook. Okay, whatever, I’ll join it. With 160k other people who own these feathery little critters, I’m bound to learn something from them. But what she didn’t tell me is that the chicken craze is contagious. It’s real. It’s an addiction. You get a little bit educated on all of the wonders chickens bring, and then that’s it, you’re hooked.
“Where the cluck are our treats?!”
So I start seeing members of the group post photos of their chicken flocks. “Well those certainly don’t look like dual purpose browns,” I thought, “they’re spotted! Ohh and those ones are gold and red! And these ones are white with dark green tail feathers!” And then I see someone post a photo of their “rainbow eggs.” Their egg basket was filled with not only brown eggs, but blues, tans, creams, greens, olives, whites, and dark chocolate browns.
What in the… I feel jipped! Our local feed store didn’t have any options like that. Why didn’t I know about this?! Okay so, now I had a new goal. I need colors. ALL of the colors. All of the colors of feathers and all of the colors of eggs. You should have seen the look on Andy’s face when I gave him the list of all of the chickens I needed to order. And since he’s the best hubby ever, he said "sigh, fiiiiiine…” SCORE!
Our current “egg rainbow.” Come Spring 2020, our youngest hens will start laying greens, white, and dark chocolate brown.
So, long story short, I had a friend hatch some eggs from her flock for us, and I also ordered some from an online hatchery (yep, literally, chickens came in the mail). And then I ordered more from the online hatchery. And then I ordered even MORE from the online hatchery. And now we have *cough* 44 chickens *cough*. That’s not even that many though, calm down. Most people in that chicken Facebook group have like 100+. It’s fiiiiiiine.
But in reality, having 44 chickens is the same amount of work as having 7 chickens. You still have to pour the same feed in their gravity-fed feeder, you still have to fill their waterer, you still have to collect eggs, but… BONUS, you get wayyyy more eggs and have wayyyy more little feathery friends. And now, once my youngest hens start laying, I will finally have allllll of the colors! (Do I sound crazy yet?) xx
