Posted by on Oct 21, 2013 in Backyard Brood, Blog, Featured Post | 618 comments

There is so much I’ve been meaning to write now that the girls are laying, but just haven’t been able to find the time. But of all the spectacular and hilarious events in the backyard brood, the most astonishing thing so far has been the number of eggs these girls are producing! Because each bird’s egg looks distinct and we have the handy chicken cam to check their comings and goings, we’re able to track roughly who lays when, and how many.

The perfectionist in me wants to wait until some nicely-rounded amount of time had gone by to do an infographic but I just couldn’t wait to share. So here’s the count as of today, nearly six weeks after reaching point of lay:

chickens-howmuch

 

What. Wow! Of course, this vast number must be tempered with the fact that this is probably the most productive season we’ll ever have, because spring-born chickens usually continue to lay without interruption through their first fall and winter. Next year this time, the girls may go off laying completely as they molt (lose and regrow feathers), lay less frequently as the days get shorter (sunlight stimulates egg production), and eventually one or more will go broody for a while, prompting yet another hiatus at unexpected times. We won’t always be this deep in eggs. But it’s great while it’s here!

Rest assured we’re eating and sharing the egg bounty and if you haven’t received a carton or brunch invitation, you’re on the list for one soon!