Exciting news

Today I was finishing up the fencing around the garden and needed the post driver.  I thought I remembered asking Androo to take it to the barn.  It was not in its accustomed place, so I called him and asked him what he did with it.  He didn't really remember, but was pretty sure he put it right where I said, and seemed to remember leaning it against a wall.  Neither of us thought he would have found a new place for it.

I was so frustrated!  I wanted to get the job finished.  It's blackout time on my biodynamic calendar, and that means leave the plants alone.  Don't seed, don't weed, don't till, don't transplant.  So it is the perfect time for things like fencing, fencing being inanimate last time I checked.

About that time, Verle came down to look at the cooler door in the milk room.  One side isn't closing as tight as it should.  I showed him the problem and excused myself to go back to the barn for one more search for the post driver.  I didn't find the driver, but I found a nest with five eggs in it!  The barn door has been stuck open because of snow drifts, so it would have been easy for a hen to sneak in there.  I just finally got it closed again a few days ago.  One of the girls lays off-white eggs, a lovely ivory color.  The rest lay pure white.  These were all ivory, so I think it is safe to say that it is the same chicken that has been sneaking into the barn daily. 

I went back to the milk room to talk to Verle and showed him the eggs.  He told me she was going to set.  I said, "No, these chickens aren't broody.  They won't set, and besides,  I would have noticed if one of them was setting.  I would have been short a chicken when I counted at night."

I really do need educating about some things.  Verle said, "Oh, she won't start to set until she has twice that many eggs.  She's just saving them up."  Well, I never!  So that's how they do it!!  I put them back and tucked some loose hay into her nest, which was composed of Styrofoam packing peanuts.  I think she deserves better than that, being as she is going to be a mother!

So the barn door is opened back up.  This is so exciting!  I didn't think I would be blessed with Golden Campine chicks.  Like I said, they are not supposed to be broody - but one of them is.  And they are only supposed to lay five eggs a week - but they are laying more than six on average.  And everyone is surprised that I let them out to run free in snow drifts - but they loved it and dug through the drifts to get to their grubs.  Hah!  These are Superhens!!  Ta-da!!!!