Cluck, cluck, squaaaawk, squaaaaawk, eeeek, squaaawk, cluck, cluck, squaaaawk!

Cluck, cluck, squaaaawk, squaaaaawk, eeeek, squaaawk, cluck, cluck, squaaaawk!

 

We moved into our new house last year.  Recently the 35 year old air conditioner Q * U * I * T !!  Oh my, it's hot.  To beat the heat, our family spent last Saturday morning in the breezy back yard.  Lucky us, the air conditioner broke at the perfect time for us to listen to our first egg being, uh, born? ... nope, layed.  Without a rooster, no fertilization is happening in our back yard.  Earlier, I noticed one of the hens spending quite a bit of time sitting in our strawberry patch.  I had some concern that she planned to lay an egg there.  However, soon I heard clucks, squawks and other painful birthing noises coming from the coop.  After the sounds subsided, we went to check it out.

 

 

Little two-year old Clara got to pick up our first egg from the nesting box.  I am impressed, no golf ball, ceramic egg or white door knob let this hen to know where to lay.  Instead, she was smart enough to figure out where we wanted her lay, without any artificial signal.  Good girl!

With excitement Clara carried the egg all around the yard.  "An egg, the chicken laid an egg!" she exclaimed.  Then...

Yup, she dropped that egg, splat, right next to the concrete.  "I wanna 'nother one...I wanna 'nother one...I wanna 'nother one...," she repeated over and over as we answered, "You'll have to wait another day or two until the chicken lays another egg."  This is hard for a kid to understand when they are used to going to the fridge or store, and getting an egg.  What, wait for food?  Why in the world would we have to do that?  Food becomes incredibly precious when you produce it yourself and realize the time that goes into one, precious egg.  It also forms the virtue of patience in a budding little two-year old and her much older parents.  Here's to fresh food!