Feathered Friend Friday

Welcome to our series "Feathered Friend Friday." Every Friday I write a post with interesting facts, photos, or funny stories about our chickens and guineas. If you need to catch up, you'll find all the Feathered Friend Friday posts here.    

For a while now, I've been trying to figure out the best way to store our eggs so we know which ones are fresher and which ones are older. We have a couple of ceramic egg crates and for a while I would just put the new eggs in the front and move the old ones to the back. Then, when the crates were full, I'd fill up egg cartons so that we could sell the eggs.

Well, that didn't turn out to be the best method because sometimes I'm not as organized as I'd like and eggs just get left all over the place. Sometimes I prefer to keep eggs at room temperature for baking and other purposes (more on that here), so with the eggs on the counter, in the ceramic crates, and in the egg cartons, I was getting confused.

One day, I saw a photo on Farmhouse 38 showing that Kate had written directly onto her eggs who laid them and the date they were laid. Genius! I have too many brown egg layers to know exactly which hen laid which brown egg, but I figured at least I could write the date on the egg so I would know precisely how fresh it was before I cracked it open. I didn't want the date to be too conspicuous, so I decided to just write it on the very bottom of the egg, where it rests in the egg carton.

I finally feel like I have found the perfect method of controlling our egg inventory. No more guessing at how old an egg is when it's written directly on the bottom. All I have to do now is turn it over and see for myself!

Would you prefer to have the dates written on the eggs you buy so you know exactly how fresh they are?

~Tammy

Shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Sunrise

After sleeping in just a little bit too late this morning, I groggily threw on my heavy layers to go outside and let the chickens out to start their day. I walked out the back door, filled up a water bucket to replenish the frozen waterers, fed Sylvester, then marched down to the chicken coop. I made sure to give Duchess a quick treat to get her out of my way before I opened the coop door and a flurry of chickens came spilling out. Up until then I had my back towards the sun, so when I turned around I was surprised to be greeted by the most gorgeous sunrise.

All of a sudden, I was overcome with excitement and felt every cell of my being burst with energy. I told Duchess I'd be right back for another treat, then I bolted up to the house to grab my camera. The sun waits for no one. I wanted to capture the sun just as I had seen it, barely peeking up from behind the hill.

I snapped away and became lost in the moment, just me and the sun. I had to get back inside to pack David's lunch and make sure he had everything he needed before leaving for work, but I couldn't pull myself away from that sunrise.

Finally, I forced myself to say goodbye. I had other responsibilities to tend to. I didn't get to spend too much time with the sun, but it ended up being just enough. I can't think of a better way to start my day.

~Tammy

Shared with Skywatch Friday, Rurality Blog Hop 

Clearing The Camera

Here are some recent photos I've taken that I wanted to share. Go here if you'd like to see more photo posts.

My sweet Rhode Island Red rooster, "Roosty Roo"

Favorite way to spend an early weekend morning.

Sylvester staying warm in his house.

Lucy preening her beautiful feathers after an evening of free ranging.

Stormy skies.

You talkin' to me?!

This photo gets me every time.

Hope you've enjoyed a slice of our homestead.

~Tammy

Shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Eco Kids Tuesday, Tuesday Muse, Rurality Blog Hop, Backyard Farming Connection, Down Home Blog Hop, The HomeAcre Hop, Home Sweet Home    

Feathered Friend Friday

Today I am so very honored and thrilled to be featured over at Scratch and Peck for Lauren's blog tour. In preparation for the post, she asked me if she could create an illustration of one of my chickens. I am a huge fan of her work so I replied with a very enthusiastic yes! I was so excited to have the chance for one of my feathered friends get her expert treatment. Immediately I knew who I wanted to her to illustrate - my beloved hen Buttercup.

You may remember from a post last December that I lost Buttercup after a long battle with illness. Her passing was especially hard for me to take, as I had grown so close to her in the final months of her life. When I could tell she was really struggling and the end was near, I brought her inside the house for her last remaining days in an effort to make her as comfortable as possible. I checked on Buttercup numerous times each day and tended to her every need. I knew my days with her were numbered, so I spent every moment I could with her. I was really worried that she might slip away while I was at work, so I prayed that I could be there for her in those precious final moments. And thank God, I was. Buttercup died while sitting in my lap and her last memories were that of my voice telling her how much she was loved and my hands gently petting her soft, gorgeous feathers. It was a peaceful passing and exactly how I hoped it would end for my girl. For that I am so very thankful.

I had all this in mind when asking Lauren to illustrate Buttercup, and I have been waiting anxiously to see what she came up with. As soon as I saw her illustration, I began to cry. Lauren perfectly captured Buttercup's sweet nature and she looks so happy and healthy with a lovely gleam in her eye.

Isn't it just wonderful?! My tears are those of joy and happiness because Buttercup meant so much to me and I am so lucky to have known her and called her my own. This illustration reminds me of her joyful times and sweet spirit and I will treasure it forever. Please check out Lauren's post here to get more insight into her process and how she came up with the direction and overall feel of the illustration.

Don't forget to enter my drawing for a copy of Lauren's wonderful new book, Once Upon a Flock: Life With My Soulful Chickens. All you have to do is go to my review and giveaway post here and enter a comment. Since I am featured on Lauren's blog today, she has agreed to give away two copies of her book! Just comment on my post here and I will choose two winners at random tonight at 11:59 pm central time. Be sure to comment on the giveaway post for a chance to win - I will not choose winners from this post. Good luck and check back tomorrow to see if you are one of the two winners!

~Tammy

Disclaimer: We are part of the Amazon Associates program, so if you click on the link above to Once Upon a Flock and make a purchase, we will receive a small commission.