Fart Egg

We got another fart egg this week! For those of you who don’t know about the fart eggs, they are eggs laid by newly laying hens. It is kind of like a practice run that leads up to the real thing. As you can guess, it is full of air! This is only our third in 4 years, so it is exciting for us to find!
The hens have been eating their fill of blackberries, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and low hanging grapes from the vineyard this week. They also have discovered pasta salad and think they found Heaven.

Chicken poop

The girls are just not too psyched to be in the hen house with this hot weather! They would much rather be outside eating their fill of blackberries from all the bushes that have sprung up this year. I tell you what, chicken poop is magical stuff. I have been amazed at the things like blackberries, tomatoes, melons, etc. that have grown right outside the coop from a seed that has escaped them. The blackberry bushes have grown into a large canopy giving them lots of shade. What a great trade off! They also have been eating squash and cucumbers from our garden. Eggs should be tasty this week!

Bee swarm

The girls had quite a busy weekend posing for glamour shots for an upcoming Edible Memphis magazine article about them. They are typically too busy running around to pose but this weekend I had a little posse that followed me around whenever they saw the camera. It’s as if they knew it was time for their 15 minutes of fame. We paid them for their time with the country version of greenbacks, Collard greens. We also gave them lots of shredded cheese, strawberries and frozen sweet corn cobs to keep them feeling fresh in the heat ;) The above photo is a swarm of honeybees that decided to set up camp on a Cabernet Franc grapevine this weekend. Jay set up a bee house in the vineyard for them. Hopefully they will stay and help us pollinate!

Bent Willow eggs just got a restaurant gig!!!

Well the girls just hit the big time by securing a spot at the new farm to table restaurant The Elegant Farmer in Memphis, TN. I can't wait to go and order a Bent Willow egg! Please check out the restaurant and support us! http://theelegantfarmerrestaurant.com
In the meantime, the girls really got into the Easter egg spirit this week. We got all sorts of speckled eggs, “chocolate” eggs, and even a few deep greens and lavenders that we’d never seen before. What a fun week! The girls have gone wild for all the strawberries we’ve been giving them. We grew some and the rest are being sold by a precious couple on Hwy 72 just outside Piperton. If you want some wonderful strawberries with no pesticides, check them out. They also got to feast on Hot cross buns, yeast rolls and every other Eastery food we couldn’t finish ourselves. We actually put their food out several yards from their normal feeding bowls so they would get a little exercise this weekend! You should have seen those little rear ends waddling as fast as they could to come get their treats. I need to video it.

Chicken names

I have learned a few things along the way when it comes to naming my chickens. For example, I recently learned that I should avoid any racy sounding names unless I want a lot of Google hits on my blog from Europe and Morocco. Apparently, "voluptuous Dolly Parton" is an oft requested search. Much to their dismay, the web surfers are offered my story of the large breasted blonde hen who turned out to be a rooster. I have also learned that if a chicken is named after food, he or she will certainly come to an untimely death. I don't know how it happens, but it is an automatic jinx. We have lost Snickers, Godiva, Hershey, and most recently Dumpling. The only chicken to avoid this fate is Milky Way. I have put it out there for the fates that he is named after the constellation reflected in his beautiful black and white flecked feathers and not for the nougaty candy bar! On a positive note, chickens named after loved ones have taken on their personality traits as well, whether it be as mother, protector, or clown. Take care or else I may be naming one after you!!!

New duchesses arrive at the Palais des Poulets

Our 4th generation of hens has been moved from the nursery into the Palais des Poulets. They were greeted by Sallie, the Rhodie, and Priscilla, the Dominique, who represented the Ladies Auxiliary. After a tour of their new home, Sallie and Priscilla treated the girls to a welcome luncheon featuring raisins, baguettes, and cheese. A fine time was had by all. The new court at the Palais has enjoyed exploring the great outdoors and playing chase with Milky Way and the other roosters even though I keep telling them that they are much too young to date.

Counting chickens

I know you all have been told at some point or another "Don't count your chickens before they hatch". It's a great expression. I literally have made plans for eggs in a nest that ended up not hatching. The result of which was going to the Crump flea market to try my luck buying baby chicks from a man in overalls and no teeth who swore they were all girls. That was a hard lesson as I ended up with 3, count em, 3 roosters. That is 3 too many for someone in the egg selling business. Especially when I already have a well established Cuckoo Maran rooster named Milky Way who doesn't need any help with the ladies. Well, now I have added another expression to my repertoire. Don't name your chicken before puberty. It happens to me with every new generation of chicks. You may remember the plucky big breasted blonde we named Dolly Parton. Well, Dolly ended up turning into a really mean rooster we renamed Uncle Swep after one of Jay's great uncles. Now, we are in another predicament as our precocious blonde Buff Orpington chick Lindsey Lohan has recently been heard attempting to crow.