We have had a number of people ask about our Blue Marans. In answer to that question here is a quick post on how we produce these dark brown egg layers. Blue Marans are not listed in the French or American standard. Blues do not breed true, meaning breeding two Blues does not always result in Blue chicks. The Blue gene is dominant and dilutes
How to Steam Eggs
I love having farm fresh eggs. The taste, the shell color, the lovely ladies who produce them. However, it took me awhile to figure out how to hard boil them without shredding the white part during the peeling process. The trick is…
Making Egg Geodes
I have always wanted to make egg geodes with the kids. We finally did it! It’s a fairly simple science project & can be done in a day or two. Most of that time is waiting for the crystals to form. We remade our mix 2 extra times, so it took us about a week to complete. With the exception of the alum, the supplies
Dinosaur Eggs
I saw these dinosaur eggs on pinterest, and new one day they’d be a craft I’d try. I’m always looking for crafty egg ideas. I did try them & although they didn’t turn out quite as awesome as I’d hoped, they were still fun to make & are fun to look at. The instructions call for a chicken egg, but I used duck eggs since
Birds of 2013: Week 31
Every year barn swallows make nests in the eaves of our house or in Farmer John’s Man Shack. This year they built one of their nests in a perfect place for baby observing. They built it above our front porch. We are able to see the birds every time we walk outside & while inside through a window. No new birds this week, but it’s
Abstract Quail Egg Painting
Today the kids argued with each other far more than I could take. So, I came up with a project that entertained them at least for a little bit. Farmer John had been saving some of our quail eggs with the hopes of incubating them. I know some of them, though, had been layed more than 10 days ago. We don’t put eggs in our
Birds of 2013: Week 23
One day the kids & I went to a wetlands area & spotted a Killdeer nest with eggs. We found it most peculiar that they would lay eggs right in the middle of a path, but apparently that’s normal for them.
2013 Hatch #4
Last week another batch of eggs hatched. This time we incubated Blue Marans & Easter Eggers like we have done in previous hatches. We also hatched a few Rhode Island Reds for the first time. This is our 5th hatch & it’s still exciting. I love watching the chicks peck their way into the world.
2013 Hatch #3
We’ve successfully made it through our 4th round of incubating chicken eggs! It continues to be an exciting experience. I get very impatient by day 20. I anxiously wait to see who hatches, then get nervous after some hatch & wonder why others aren’t hatching. I’m then excited when another few hatch. The truth is, though, each batch we’ve had at least one chick pip
Trying Out 3 Egg Dye Kits
Easter is coming, which means it’s time to color eggs. Our hens are laying like crazy right now & we are getting at least a dozen eggs every day. I thought it would be fun to try out a couple different egg dye kits.