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For the past 25+ years, my parents have had chickens. Well....hens actually. At any one time, there are usually 10-14 hens living on their farm. It is a wonderful source of farm fresh eggs. I have grown VERY accustom to the quality and QUANTITY of the eggs they provide. My dad doesn't eat eggs, and my mom mostly uses them when baking, so there is simply NO way they can go through the nearly dozen eggs a day that are laid on their farm. My brother and I have picked up the slack. We are thrilled to take home many many many eggs each time we visit.
When Sugar Bear came along, she quickly fell in love with these creatures. She is a true chicken chaser, and loves to help gather the eggs. She is a cute little helper like that. While browsing through some old unedited photos, I stumbled upon this sweet photo of Sugar Bear carrying some eggs back to the house last summer. Sigh...look at how much she has changed this year. Where is my baby girl???? Look at those cheeks! YUM!
Last December, some sort of animal discovered the hens,and mysteriously managed to killed each and every one of them within a period of 5 days. It was a sad, sad thing. Sugar was so disappointed when we next went to the farm and the chickens were gone. I explained to her that a very hungry animal had ate them, and that just happens sometimes. We discussed further that in the spring, grandma would buy some baby chicks, and they would grow into big chickens, and start laying eggs. It was a LONG wait. We had NO eggs. I actually had to buy eggs...and have you seen the price of eggs???? eeekkkkk....mama no likey!
Spring came.....and grandma picked out 12 lovely chicks. Sugar loved them...a lot, and I do mean A LOT!!!!! Unfortunately.....when the chicks were old enough to go into the big pen.....within days, something had managed to lift the sheet metal, and kill all but one. This was a hard thing to tell the Sugar, but she rallied and just told Papa that he needed to build a better pen. Luckily, my parents were able to find a very late hatching of chicks, and got 12 more. Meanwhile....NO EGGS. sigh...For father's day, I gave my dad a large live trap. He has since captured two raccoons, and gave them new homes FAR away. We are hoping this solves the problem.
The other day, while visiting the farm, Papa surprised Sugar with the very first egg. Wish I had my camera there to document the occasion, but I didn't. I'll just look at this old photo, and imagine a huge smile on her face. I have to admit....I'm a bit giddy myself. Soon, I'll be rolling in some eggs. YAHOO!!!!
24 Live It or Love It:
Awww. great story. Send some my way we never have enough eggs.
What a fantastic--EGGtra special story:)
Here's to future scrambles round the barnyard. Hopefully the traps continue to work--those poor chicks.
I hate the price of eggs too--totally blows!
Yeah for the first egg! Great PSF!
Great story!
Amazing how much she has grown in a year.
Those cheeks! SOSO cute!
My son's granfather has hens and I love when he sends fresh eggs home to us. I need to get me one of them :)
FUN i love fresh eggs. what a great thing for your little Sugar to get to experience.
I'm glad they were able to trapped and remove the problem. HOpefully they won't return! Great picture!
The timing of this post made me laugh. I just talked to my dad and asked him to bring me some more eggs tonight!
Children and animals... there seems to be that unbreakable attraction maybe something about caring for the small critters.
Great story. Sounds familiar ;-)
I've always wanted to raise a few chickens. I've just got to get my husband on board with the whole idea. :-)
Um . . . this may sound like a silly question, but what's the difference between a chicken and a hen? I thought they are both female and that the males are roosters. Have I been mistaken for 30 years?! (hides face in embarrassment)
I don't know why, but the true chicken chaser line cracked me up (holy crumbs, but that is a bad pun!). Sugar is just adorable! Look at those eyes!
How lucky for her to live so close to grandparents with a farm! I'm such a city girl, that sounds like the best way to spend an afternoon for a little one. And for me. :)
GREAT PSF!
What a cute little chicken chaser!
Oh, I miss having fresh eggs!
That pic is so cute. They were only 2 this time last year, that's so tiny, but next year we'll be looking back on them being tiny 3 yer olds I'm sure. Glad you caught the raccoons. Hope that solves it so Sugar and you can have more eggs. :D
Great story! Dang raccoons!!
I grew up with farm fresh eggs - nothing better!
She seems so...innocent...and...helpful...
Why do I suspect that there is mischief under the surface here?
What do they call that in Mexico? A chupacabra? It mysteriously kills livestock and no one's ever actually seen it. Like a Mexican lochness. Bet that's what it was!
Great story! Have fun with the egg and that reminds me, I've run out of them..:-(..I need to get some soon..Excellent PSF!
Poor chickies. My grandparents have battled the same thing except they have weasles and coyotes that they have to blame. They are too old anymore though and have two or three little troopers hanging in there.
That's very cute about your daughter though. Mine was a bit fearful of the chickens...although I think peeps might have fixed that. Yay for the beginning of "free" eggs again. :)
We used to have hens when I was a kid...farm fresh is best. She is adorable, since we can't stop time I guess we have to enjoy every moment...and capture as many as possible.
Okay, she is just stinkin' adorable!! How cool to have hens and all the eggs you want and need. Hope the raccoons were the problem.
Oooh, those cheeks indeed! She is squishably adorable!
And all the farm fresh eggs you could want?! Serious envy here. I'm so glad your folks egg factory is back in production. Yay!
And yes, the price of eggs has skyrocketed! So much for cheap meals.
That is a great story! I love the picture too! What a sweetie!!
good now give her a third one and teach her to juggle....
no?
okay.
oh my goodness she has changed so much! Hopefully removing the racoons did the trick and you'll continue to get farm fresh eggs!
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