So this time, the egg really did come first!

So, don't let the post from last week make you think that I am down and out, or that we on the farm are done. Oh no. Not at all. Row crops are on hold, yes. That's a lot of bending, pulling, twisting, and for that, I am not ready. I might be overly cautious yet I want to REALLY heal instead of putting the proverbial Bandaid on and be on my merry way.

One of the things we are focusing on right now is chickens. We have decided to increase our chicken flock because frankly, we can't keep up with egg orders. That is thrilling for us at Seven Cats Farm! We have people who have a standing weekly or bi-weekly order in place and other requests are coming in.

Do you remember this post? When I found Lucy's nest in the ivy, there were 12 eggs in her 'clutch' (there's another chicken-ism... in her clutches). I didn't want to eat or sell these eggs; I didn't know how long they had been out there. At LEAST 12 days, right? But I thought 'Hey, maybe I could get some of these to hatch'.

After a few days of 'nest temperatures' between 88 and 120 degrees (the ideal is a consistent 99.5), the Lovey and I decided it was time to get a proper incubator and do this the right way. Away went Lucy's eggs - we didn't want her eggs anyway... she has that crooked little mouth - and I gathered eggs from the chickens with traits that I'd like to replicate (color, consistency).

First we candled the eggs (put a flashlight in a toilet paper roll to light up the egg) to see how the shell looked. Were there pin-holes that showed weakness? Areas where there was too much calcium? We chose eggs that had pretty even shell thickness, put them in place and started the machine. Let the countdown begin.