Eggs!

     So, I have to start by saying that it feels a little strange to be writing my first non-Fun Little Things related post, but as promised this blog is about my life this year, and that definitely includes more than FLT!

    I have wanted to get chickens pretty much forever.  My family had them for a short time in high school, ending with a tragic bear related/ traumatizing my vegetarian sister incident.  Since then I have been waiting for the right time and place in my life to be able to get them again.  Two years ago while planning our move to San Diego I was slightly obsessively on backyardchickens.com researching all of the chicken laws for different parts of town (what? you mean to tell me you were unaware that there are chicken laws in big cities?).  Sadly, due to ease of commutes, price of rent and coolness of neighborhood restaurants and dog parks we ended up in a part of town where 50 feet were required between chicken coop and the nearest house.  50 feet?  In the middle of the city?  Give me a break! So the chicken dream was put on hold again.


    But to my very excited surprise, the law changed in January of this year!  Now all you need within San Diego city limits is 4 feet to have up to 5 chickens.  We could also have two dehorned goats and two beehives!  So, obviously, by February we had a coop and 2 baby chickens, with 2 more coming to us in March.  In the last 5 months we have gone from

Peep and Puffball - Partridge Rock Chicks, like Barred Rock,
but brown and red instead of black and white.
Also, apparently less "racist" towards other chicken breeds according
to the strange man selling them to us.  

Marilyn and Millicent - Buff Orpington Chicks.
So cute and worth waiting two weeks and
driving to Vista one more time for!

to

Okay, they are kind of hard to see through the door, but if
we don't keep it closed they will come inside and
poop by our washing machine!

I realize 5 months isn't actually long for an animal to go from tiny adorable baby, to fully matured and able to produce babies, but while waiting for our delicious eggs it seemed to take forever!  



     There were some adventures along the way.  Learning which food and water dishes worked best in their tiny indoor, heated homes.  Trying to keep them from pooping directly into the new food.  How to fit 4 ever bigger chickens in plastic tubs in our living room and how to get their light farther away every week.  Introducing little baby chickens to their most adoring fans.

Moving them outside to the wild world or cats, possums and hawks.  Learning how to convince them that going back inside at night really was for their own good.


And the sad day we were forced to admit that Millicent should really be named Murphy and had to go back to the feed store.

She really just wants to take a nap,
but her babies keep trying to cuddle with her!

But then! One day! A few days ago!  There it was! A little egg (I admit, lying in a pile of poop!)









The shell was a little soft and squishy, but hey, they are still learning!









And yesterday they were considerate enough to leave one right on the back porch!  We have eaten a few (that actually had hard shells).  Beautiful, bright orange yolks and super yummy flavor.  We can't wait for more to come!

***And on a related note... If any of my friends out there want to "chicken sit" for a week while we are in Tahoe, fresh eggs!