Egg Trails: The First Egg of the Flock

Ladies and gentlemen, a moment of due silence, please, as the drum rolls.... The girls are listening.

The first egg of the flock arrived this AM; it's real; it's at Hasty Acres; it was in the nest; it is perfect! And almost full size.

Interestingly enough, it is brown. We expected a white one from one of the leghorns since the literature suggests they are the earliest layers in our flock.

When we arranged this idea (as I mentioned in an earlier post), we chose breeds that would round out a natural flock with tendencies for:

-meat
-eggs - including production and colors
-small combs - to better handle winter temps
-setting tendencies - for natural flock reproduction
-and of course - prettiness (is that even a word!) for enjoyment.


Our pretties arrived at the post office from Cackle Hatchery, March 23rd, 2011. Leghorn, Americauna, Cornish, Rock and Brahma pullets filled the welcomed, long-awaited box of teeny-tiny, chirping pretties of various shades of chicky colors; we were ecstatic!

Their palace awaited their arrival. A brand new sheep tank in our chicken house feed room sat chicky-ready complete with heat lamps snapped to both sides, newspaper-lined bottom with paper towels on top to keep their legs from splaying. 2 brand new red, long chicky feeders filled with Chick Starter and 2 chicky waterers filled to the brim with fresh water laced with some sugar to ensure they perked up – from a long, scary chicky trip from Missouri.

Extraneous chickys entered our flock during the week or two following the March date above, as Big R feed stores had the gall to have rows of tanks full of chicky-pretties to tempt us! More on that later.

August 20th, 2011. 5 months...shy 2 days!

Which ever pretty you are, congratulations! You are the leader of the eggs,the queen for a day; you rock, egg-layer-leader of the Hasty Acres chicken flock.

Even in chicky world, Nature prevails.

Chicken Tracks: Nature's Eggs at Hasty Acres

According to the American Egg Board,

"Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs."

Mother Earth News says that hens - such as the spoiled girls at Hasty Acres, may be 'better than the average bear', (in egg-speak!):
"Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene"

The following American Egg Board site gives egg recipes. One particular recipe looked yummy enough to munch off the page:

Breakfast Biscuit Quiches

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Makes: 10 mini quiches

What You Need
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped ham
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
3 EGGS
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (12 oz.; 10 biscuits) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Here’s How
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE cheese, ham and green onions in small bowl; mix well. BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.
2. SEPARATE biscuits; press or roll each into a 5-inch round on lightly floured surface. PLACE 1 biscuit in each of 10 greased muffin cups, leaving the 2 cups in center of pan empty. PRESS biscuits firmly against bottom and sides of cups and form rim at top.
3. SPOON 2 Tbsp. cheese mixture into each cup. POUR IN egg mixture, dividing evenly.
4. BAKE in center of 350°F oven until filling is set and biscuits are deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. REMOVE from pan; serve warm.

Please let us know here on trails of nature, your success (or not) with this recipe. We want to know what our readers think.

We truly enjoy our 'girls' here at Hasty Acres. If you are in an area that allows keeping of hens, give some thought to raising 3 or 4 of them for your improved diet and added enjoyment of life.

Next time on Chicken Tracks, we'll look at some of the popular breeds and their different rates of egg production.

Have to run and throw my pretties some vegetable leftovers from last night's soup.


"HURRY UP! Mom's got scraps!"














"I'm first!"





Til next time, Nature prevails.

CHICKEN TRACKS...Next Stop on Trails of Nature

We're finished on the kitty trails; the kitties are settled in. Time to set out on another Nature trail.

"DID SOMEONE SAY TABLE-SCRAPS?"










Hasty Acres lays claim to the best incredible-edible-eggs - according to Oris George from The Backroads of Yesterday. Why, only Thursday, Mr. George gave my Acewriters writing group, a detailed explanation/presentation/specific rendition of the simple cooking, cooling and serving process for the perfect egg! This perfect egg is born - ONLY - at Hasty Acres.

Here at our spacious country dwelling, our six, feathered beauties enjoy the amenities necessary for prolific, perfect egg production. They have free range - which adds grasshoppers and other delectable bugs to their diet, creating bigger, brighter yolks. For breakfast, our pretties get a bowl of hen scratch (grain) to supplement their egg-layer pellets. Scratching in our bulb bed fills their afternoons. They thoroughly enjoy themselves, and my garden soil gets aerated, energizing any lazy worms (they have to be fast to out-dig our pretties)! Given a chance to return to their primitive way of life, they produce their best eggs.

Did I mention they donate free fertilizer all over Hasty Acres?! We do have to occasionally chase them away from the front door - fertilizer on the front steps seems to agitate Mrs. Barn Builder, for some odd reason...

But back to the perfect egg....next time on Chicken Tracks.

Tip of the day; "An egg is its own perfect container!" (courtesy of Don)

Nature prevails.

Trials on the Kitty Trail

Nature and her beauty, abound around us yet again this day. The stunning blue of a Colorado sky holds up the wisps of clouds that hang in the air above Hasty Acres.

But the trails of Nature are not so natural, or fun, for our kitties.

Three unhappy kitty faces peer at the camera from their new kitty trail, a few hours into captivity. A difficult maneuver for us, since this goes against our belief in the 'nature' of Nature. But, if these kitties are to be adopted and cared for by humans, they need to go down this road. The alternative allows them to reproduce in the wild, in an area filled with their predators, human and otherwise, and few safeguards.

They are temporarily in a large cage with a shelf in the back third for climbing/exercise, food and water below, and one end open to a tray in the bottom filled with a mixture of sand and kitty litter for now, since they are used to sand.

The cage is in the chicken coop feed room; we left the feed room door open last night so Mom and Dad could visit, to minimize the stress on all concerned. We saw both Visitor and Blackie nearby, resting with the kitties in the afternoon and evening. Starting tonight - for about a week, we will leave the cage door open and the feed room door closed. Mom and Dad will still be able to visit through the chicken coop chicken-door where the hens go in and out. They will be able to interact through the screen door that separates the feed room from the main coop.



"CAN"T A GIRL LAY AN EGG IN PEACE THESE DAYS, WITHOUT PREDATORS ROAMING IN AND OUT OF HER HOUSE!!!"


We will supplement their dry kitten food with a kitten milk supplement.

Hopefully in about a week, the kitties will understand that food now comes from humans so when they are transported to their new home at the nearby farm, they will stay there and become 'at home' in their new environment.

We are of course, getting our kitty fixes with holding and cuddling them several times during the day. We think that this too - is best for all concerned!

The kitties on this kitty trail...are not the only ones learning hard lessons. We are less than comfortable with Nature...not so naturally...

Thunder on the kitty trail

Our first storm of the spring season! Nature rumbled and roared from lots of low, dark, churning clouds.

Meanwhile, kitties were feeding/sleeping with Mama up in the loft, earlier in the day. With one exception! (Click on the picture and check out that adorable, little tongue!)



It's obvious who's the 'leader-of-the-pack' in this family. He/she hogs the entire breakfast bowl and is first in line to head out on the kitty trail at Hasty Acres.

Newsflash!! Our neighbor has put his dibs on all 3 of our kittie cuties; these little furrballs will have the life of Riley...10 acres to roam in, a big barn full of mice and a nice family with youngsters to cuddle up for kitty purrs when available. We couldn't be more pleased.

Nature said goodnight through a stunning Colorado sunset. Days end on the kitty trail.



Nature...naturally.