Sorting out the pecking order
Today Aaron and I decided to go buy two more chickens. We’ve been so happy caring for the five we have because having fresh eggs in your backyard is so satisfying. And the chickens themselves always make us laugh.
When we brought our new chickens home, a couple of hens from our flock started chasing one of them around pecking at her. This is a natural thing–Like many animals, chicken groups create hierarchies based on dominance and submissiveness. The chicken who was getting picked on was the smallest and was noticeably freaked out.
We hope it won’t take too long for the new chickens to blend into their place on the pecking order. It’s hard seeing one of them getting bullied, but as long as she’s not seriously injured, it’s best not to intervene.
Mutant eggs
Double yolk chicken egg
I’m nearly 30 years old and all my life I’ve never seen an egg like this. That’s a testament to our industrial food culture, because apparently, chickens lay mutant eggs all the time. But commercial egg farmers remove the odd eggs before taking their product to market.
Aaron and I got backyard chickens in November 2010. We waited until January to get our first egg. And what an egg it was! The thing was HUGE…About double the size of a regular egg. The next morning Aaron cracked it into the pan and we were completely shocked to see it had two yolks. Twins.