When a chicken egg is a little scary.

Look what we found in the nest box the other day.

I know, kinda creepy.

At first we just starred at it.

Then we touched it.

Finally someone got brave enough to eat it.

Turns out, there was not a baby dinosaur inside, like some of us thought.

Just two cheerful yolks, waiting to nourish us.

Thanks, chickens!

Mommy Camp, Daddy Camp

Earlier this summer, the four of us took a look at the weeks that stretched before us and realized we needed a plan.  Not a schedule so much, but a concrete idea of how best to enjoy our gift of time.  We discussed goals.  We spoke of chores.  We suggested outings.  And we came up with a pretty good plan.

Mommy Camp, Daddy Camp!

Because both Mommy and Daddy had Stuff To Get Done.  Daddy had never-ending music planning to do.

 And Mommy had ever-engaging market business to attend to.

So, we all decided that the kids with be with me for the morning time, and with Daddy in the afternoon.  During the evenings, we'd have family game nights or movie nights or bike rides or visits with family and friends.

About halfway through the summer, I realized I was hearing a lot about other kids and their camps.  Baseball camp.  Band camp.  Bubble camp.  And I realized that our kids were pretty much doing the same thing, but they were doing it with their parents.

And sometime in July, our time had a fun new name.

Mommy Camp, Daddy Camp!

Mommy Camp tends to include an outing or two,

playdates,

kitchen skills,

repurposing crafts,

dictation,

Do you recognize these children's books?  "Little Georgie came tumbling down the rabbit burrow, panting out the tidings." and "She was about the size of a gumdrop."

fun with nail polish,

all manner of living room forts,

nature play,

collecting eggs,

trips to the library.

Daddy Camp gravitates toward bike rides, running,

music theory, typing skills, folding clothes, and experimental photography.

taken by Abi

taken by Abi

taken by Abi

taken by Josi

So when you ask my kids, "What did you do this summer?" and they answer "Mommy Camp, Daddy Camp!" you'll know what in the world they are talking about.

Now laying!

We were wondering when those chickens would start laying.  And we were getting asked the same by many friends and relatives.  I tried to have a laid back approach and had September 1st on my mental calendar for a good egg deadline for our 5 backyard hens.

And yet, I checked those nest boxes daily.  I wanted the surprise.

So yesterday, when Music Man and I went out to move the coop (just cuz' it's mobile doesn't mean it marches around the yard on its own, I wish), I took off the right side of the coop to lighten the load by a few pounds.  And what was sitting there so quietly?

Six eggs!

Two tiny ones, three regular ones, and a double-yolker.

I think it's appropriate that our first discovery was a half-dozen.  And oh-so-tasty.

We cooked up those eggs so fast, they almost seemed unreal.  I had to refer to the photos and empty shells to remind myself that our hens (or at least some of them) are now laying.

Any ideas about how to teach them to lay in the actual next boxes?

They're here! The first week for our chicks.

We had been contemplating, pondering, considering chicks for about a year before their big arrival last Tuesday.  If you've ever glanced at the Recent Reads sidebar on the right, you could guess the inevitable, that we would one day be keepers of backyard chickens.  And now we are, excect they live in our kitchen.  Seems appropriate, because that's where they will end up.  At least the eggs will.

Our chicks came to us the way nature intended.  Through the US Mail.

Turns out that just before hatching, chicks absorb the yolk as their nourishment and hydration, allowing them to be just fine without food or water for about 48 hours.  In your standard barnyard, this is so the mother hen can sit patiently on her whole clutch, while the slowpoke eggs take their time hatching and the early birds don't starve.

In your small city, this is so they can arrive via Express Mail to your local post office.

Their box was lined with straw, had plenty of holes for air, and even its own heating pad for warmth.  And so our 6 chicks arrived last Tuesday around noon, just 24 hours after hatching!

Here they are in their new home, a galvanized tub in our kitchen.

Within minutes, they figured out that chicken feed is delicious.  And soon after, that water is awesome.

Within just a day, adult feathers were replacing the fluff on their wing tips.  And they were doing chicken-y things like preening, flapping, pecking their neighbor, and crazy yoga-like stretching.

My family took to them right away, and we snuggle them whenever possible.

If we are still and quiet, they fall asleep right in our hands.

We have two Salmon Faverolles, 

two Barred Rocks,

and two Buckeyes.

Unfortunately, this little one has fallen ill and won't be with us much longer. 

And then there were five.

These five have gotten so jumpy that when I change the bedding in their tub, I'm forced to put them in my tallest stockpot to keep them from hopping away!

They've gotten a little bigger by now, but I couldn't help but notice that a newborn chick weighs less (at 38 grams) than an egg (about 55 grams)!

And all of us humans stand motionless above their brooder tub, amused by how birdy they are.

The jury is still out about their names, but I think a family meeting is in order to determine this soon!