Chicken lady

Last August, I left my job working for the behavioral health department of a large hospital.  Having worked there nine years, I knew there would be a lot of grief and that I would need to be focused on something positive in addition to grad school.  My husband (reluctantly?) agreed to let me order some chicks, so I researched which ones were the easiest to manage and I decided on Light Brahmas.  Brahmas are a heritage breed and a dual purpose bird, which means they can be used for egg production or meat.  While I will never eat my birds, I love that they are giants, but still tame enough to let me pick them up and hand feed them daily.

We waited anxiously for the girls to start laying and then, a month and a half ago they did.  The eggs were beautiful, light brown eggs and each hen laid a distinct looking egg.  While some made a big ruckus before and after, Cleopatra quietly would sit in the coop and then step out nonchalantly as if she had just taken a brief nap.  The eggs have been amazing with golden yolks and a sweet fresh flavor.  While I am thrilled to have eggs coming from birds I know are happy and healthy, I haven't been as good as I would like to be about using them.  They haven't gone to waste as neighbors and friends are eager to get their hands on farm eggs from our yard birds.  But, I am a baker at heart and when I first got the girls, I was so excited about how righteous (Uh, I know) and delicious my cupcakes and cookies would be.

Despite the recent tragedy of losing Hazel to an attack by one of my dogs, who shall remain nameless here, lest his reputation for his general beauty and overall good nature be sullied, the remaining ladies, Cleopatra and Althea lay on, continuing to provide a bounty of gorgeous eggs for us to feast on.  We have gotten a lot of compliments about the flavor and appearance of the eggs and my husband and I are happy not to be paying a premium price for pasture raised eggs.