The twins and I have been raising chickens for eighteen months. We have slogged through the rain, braved the blizzards, found ways to keep their water from freezing, scooped out their wood shavings, bought pellets and oyster shells and scratch, and even bathed the Silkies when their feathers became
saturated with mud.
A graph of the trajectory of egg production looks like the Wall of China. Until a hen is six months old she cannot lay at all, and then if she goes broody, or is molting, or enjoying a staycation she stands up empty. We lost a few birds in the beginning before we learned how to outsmart the racoons, and then had to rehome a few
roosters.
But this week we have had a triumphant average of nine eggs a day. I will not dwell on the fact that there are a potential of twenty one girls who could in fact hand over their eggs. That would turn down the volume on our joy. It is with great ceremony each afternoon that the girls reveal the contents of their chicken apron pockets, offering commentary of
who laid it and which nesting box is the current favorite. Sometimes they ask me not to scream, but honestly I cannot help myself.
This week I offered to sell a couple dozen and quickly had a slew of buyers. For people who have followed the Odhner Poultry News it is eggciting to go away with a carton of sage green, little white, warm cream and big brown breakfast
makings.
It feels good to have reached the level of more eggs than we ourselves need. While there were plenty of cereal mornings this summer when I wished I was having a cheese omelet we never actually went hungry. We got by on toast with jam and juice.
Marriages can take a long running start before they are able to give back. There are stretches of time when the couple are stuck in the muddy business of converged lives, barely able to keep their heads above the jobs and laundry, much less contemplate taking a meal to a family with a new baby, or inviting a younger couple out to chat.
But we
met with a group of mentors this week who are stable enough to offer nourishment to their mentees. It's enough to make me crow for joy.
