Eggs 101

With the increased daylight of spring we're seeing an increase in the amount of eggs the hens are laying. We're getting about a dozen a day right now. That just got me thinking about eggs and some of the myths and misconceptions around them.

1. Eggs are NOT baby chickens or chicken embryos.

A hen will lay an egg whether or not she's been mated by a rooster. Eggs that you get from the grocery store are from virgin hens, these girls have never even seen a rooster. Factory egg farms don't keep the roosters because they are unnecessary to the egg laying process.

2. Do those reddish spots in an egg means the egg was fertilized?

No. 'Blood' or 'meat' spots occur in unfertilized eggs too. It's a glitch that occurs while the egg is being formed. It can be caused by stress, but sometimes occurs for no discernable reason. At no stage in it's development does a chick look anything like a blood spot.

3. The yolk is the baby chick.

Not true. The yolk is the food source for the developing chick. The chick itself grows from the Blastoderm which is a round bullseye shaped spot on the yolk. Unfertilized eggs will have a barely visable white spot with irregular edges. Fertilized eggs have a more regular defined outline. Either spot is so tiny you woud never notice it uness you were looking for it.

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed your ride through the crazy world of eggs!

Apollo

Apollo continues to improve, no signs of infection in the rest of the flock, so I'm hopeful.

Here's a vid of my snugglebug.

He looks just like his daddy Val

But is sweet like his mama Ella

Rooster News- for real this time

Unfortunately this won't be a particularly happy rooster post. For the past few days I noticed weird poo (I won't burden you with details) in the middle section of the coop. Apollo the rooster lives there with his hens Alva, Nora, and Wyn. I felt them all up, checked crops and bellies and looked them over, they all seemed fine... until Sunday.

Sunday I went out to do afternoon chores. Apollo was napping in a patch of sun in the coop, pretty normal, it was nice in there and they do love to sun bathe. But when he didn't greet me like he usually does I took a closer look. Poor guy was really sick. Lethargic, and slightly wheezy. I picked him up to get a better look and he hardly moved.

This is the guy who greets me every time I see him with a 'huck huck huck hoo' and a little dance. He snuggles up to me at every opportunity and whistles softly when I hug him. Of all the roosters in the coop he is the most affectionate. He's the one I'm kissing in my profile picture. I was there when he hatched. Even before he had a name I remember him looking up at me out of the incubator. I really love this guy.

So I put him and his girls on a really good antibiotic. I was preparing myself to find him passed away this morning. But he was obviously feeling better. So good news, the antibiotics are working, bad news, whatever he has may be contagious and pass to the rest of the flock.

There are five diseases that are likely causes. All can be fatal but if he gets over this he'll probably be immune to it in the future. I'm holding my breath and keeping a very, very close eye on the rest of the flock.

Time will tell how this plays out.

Hostage Situation

Well I'm stuck on the couch right now. Izzy came in from playing outside and decided my lap was the best possible place to nap. She is out cold! So I thought I'd do a couple updates.

Rink news!

I did finish the rink only a week or so after the last update about it. It was an unbroken pool of awesomeness and I skated my heart out on it. It was pretty sweet. Now however it's just a pool. The warm temps have not been kind to it, so let's take a look back at it in it's former glory shall we?

Nice.

Tiny horse update!

The mares are settling in really well, Candy has mellowed toward Ben and all three regularly eat from the same hay pile even though I always have more than one out for them. Watching all three cruise around the pasture is so much fun! No recent pics of them though, it's so muddy out there right now.

Well Izzy-bear is waking up I'll have to talk her into letting me go, I have stuffs to do!

Bloody Mary's and Doctor Who

What could be better on a Sunday evening?

Isn't it pretty?

The Return of Mystery Cat

The first time I saw mystery cat was two years ago in January, only a few short weeks after losing my sweet baby girl kitty. It was about 10 P.M. I was going out to put Safina kitty to bed in her luxurious apartment above the garage (it really is nice up there:). On the trail just in front of the garage was a cat.

I thought it was Safina for just a second, until he meowed and came trotting up to me. A gorgeous young tom cat. He had a short thick coat of silver grey, with a pretty tabby pattern and two white socks. But what really shone was his personality. He was the sweetest thing, with a tiny meow but big love. Rubbing all over my legs and when I bent down he hopped in my lap and arched against me, so sweet.

I walked him up to the horse barn where Sweetie's bed sat empty and her feed dishes stacked in the corner. I filled them and sat with him trying to convince him to stay and be a barn cat. He was lovey dovey with me but in the morning he was gone.

I didn't see him again for over a year.

Last October I was going for a late night snack about 11 P.M. When I looked out the front window I saw a cat walk past the car in the front yard. I grabbed the flashlight and hurried out. Walking down toward the orchard I was shocked to see Mystery Cat! Same gorgeous coat and sweet little voice, same friendliness, it was as if no time passed at all. I spent about 15 minutes with him before going in. It wasn't so hard to leave him this time, I had my little Izzy waiting.

Three nights ago at midnight I looked out the front window and saw the silhouette of a cat sitting about 5 feet from the front door. I opened the door and he trotted up happy as can be. A little chunkier, but the same guy.

Now dubbed Mystery Cat, I spent a few minutes with him thinking of all the mysteries our pets, especially the rescued ones keep from us. His owners have no idea about me, just as I have no idea of where my declawed longhair kitty came from before I found her in the woods 9 years ago.

Even though I'll probably never know the answers, it makes me appreciate the time I do have with the cats, horses and chickens.