what almost happened

Our flock started twelve years ago with 8 chicks.  We named each hen, and surprisingly, they all lived long lives, except for Joe, Rex’s favorite, a white crested black polish, who was killed by a hawk one Saturday morning.

Now we have a secure roost, a big, fenced enclosure, and the experience to know that we’re doing well if half the new chicks in any one year live out their natural lives.  We added 6 chicks who would develop into sturdy hens last spring, and just two remain.

We’re getting lots of eggs this year, and with 14 hens, the flock is about average.  Unfortunately, we recently learned about marans, a breed that lays dark brown (“chocolate" eggs), so, of course, we wanted some.  Marans are a new breed, or a breed that’s new in the U.S., so they’re not easy to find.  After sorting through search results that started with Oklahoma, Kansas & Dhangadhi, we located some nearby in Brownsville.

Murray McMurray Hatchery Egg Photo Contest 3rd Place

The farm had a lot of chicks available, so we had a lively discussion about how many to buy.  Somehow, we decided that if we wanted a few chocolate egg layers, we needed a dozen new chicks, despite Rex wanting more chickens like Joe, and 8 being the most chicks we had ever added in one year.  We called, emailed & texted the sellers to let them know we were moderately interested in stopping by and quickly had an appointment for the next morning.

Luckily, our giddy buyers’ high wore off after a good night’s sleep.  Doubling the size of the flock no longer seemed like the great idea it had been 24 hours earlier.  We decided against the drive to Brownsville & texted our regrets.

So there are no chocolate eggs in your future yet, but stay posted.  There will be chicks for sale in the feed stores until June...

Coo, coo, ca choo.