Chickens the world over have one thing in common. They all lay eggs. The process of ‘puberty,’ if you will, begins at about age 4 to 6 months on average. The event is always spectacular to hear. She lays her egg in the nest and then begins a litany of clucking that could raise the dead and will begin the other hens to clucking as well. Every day and every time.
All of them.
Nineteen of them.
Now you might begin to suspect this would be annoying to hear every day, but it isn’t. Well, not to me anyway. I hear the cackling begin and think it is all for fun to them. Seriously. Why just the other day I heard them all laughing at a something Tippy The Buff Polish was clucking…
Gaaaak! KAK, Kak, kak…! and Cuck, cuk, cuc, and cackle-cackle currrrrr, etc.
Translation?
Tippy the BP:
“Ahhh, ha-ha-ha! Girls listen to this!
Today I snapped up five brown beetles,two juicy green worms, and a couple of spiders hiding out back. Mmmmm… and for dessert I had this giant Palmetto bug! (whispered) Then I found this…
Oh! Hey girls… Shhh! SHHHHHH! Here comes the Lady of the Farmlet with her basket to steal my hard work!”
All the Girls:
*“Caaaaak, Cac-Cac-cac-cack!”
Well, I actually could be grossed out by all, but the truth of it is this:
If my chickens were not left out to pasture each day my eggs would be bland and boring! This is because it is the grasses, weeds, seeds, and well, bugs that make the lovely orange color in the yolks. You just won’t find it in store-bought eggs. My girls are also wonderful, organic pest control and garden fertilizers as well.
Now eggs come in many sizes and colors.
( http://www.dreamthymefarm.com/farmproducts.html )
The first eggs are usually small, an inch in diameter or so measured through the middle, and as time goes by the hen matures and they get much larger.
However, sometimes the younger hen will produce this…
© Lynda Swink and “Life on the Farmlet,” 2010
It is called a “Double Yolker” and it is produced by an immature hen. When two yolks come into the egg chamber they are encapsulated into the shell as one.
Poor little hens!
Rest assured, this is not a lifelong condition! Thankfully, it is intermittent lasting only about a month at the beginning of laying.
So, while I may appreciate all my Girls do for me and love to eat their eggs, I am nevertheless glad I am not a chicken!
“:< >
*The sound a chicken makes when it’s laughing at you.
Life on the Farmlet 
Lynda – what a great post. I loved reading it and learned just a bit more about chickens in the process.
Lindy 😀
Love the picture of all the eggs!! Great story too 🙂
Ouch. Poor young chickens! That double-yolker sucks. For them, not you! 😉
Do you let any of their eggs become baby chicks?
I have about 4 eggs that should be hatching something in the next week! Those silkies just love to sit on eggs! I candled them and they are growing!
I will let you know and take pictures to post.
“:
What a wonderful and informative post! I love your sense of humour and your obvious affection for your critters. Great photos too and will look forward to seeing the little chicks when they hatch.