Egg in the Nest

This is a little meal I grew up on. My mom would make this for us and we loved it. I still make it often and especially when we have company. Basically, you end up with toast and egg all at once. I haven't used my toaster in a long time. I've heard it called several different things, must be regional, we called it Egg in the Nest.

What you'll need:
-Eggs
-slices of your favorite bread (I like using rustic homemade breads, but wonderbread would work)
-butter or olive oil
-a nice pan

I start with spreading butter or the olive oil on one side of the bread and then cutting a hole about an inch in diameter or square in the center. While I'm doing that I get the pan hot and drizzle some olive oil in it (you could use butter here too). Next place the slice, buttered side up, in the pan and crack an egg in the hole. Flip the slice with egg when it's ready, depending on how you like your eggs. Don't forget to also pan fry the little chunk of bread that you cut out. Serve hot!!! YUM!

Happy Helping Hens 2008 Donation!!!!

What a great first year of the Be A Good Egg project. The donation was just made to Heifer International of $130.00. My girls want to send a big THANK YOU to all their customers for buying their eggs and making this donation possible. The $130 went to buy 6 flocks of chicks and an additional $10 donation. There are lots of gifts to choose from and with $130 I had lots of choices at that level, but I finally went with my original intention of putting the money toward chicks. As I've said before, my girls bring me joy, entertainment, nourishing eggs and are zen like so buying chicks for families in need and not just giving them nourishing eggs to eat and sell, but the entertainment and joy the chickens bring too...well, I had to go with this choice.

Here is the description in the Heifer online catalog for chicks:
Chicks: A Good Choice

A flock of chicks can help families from Cameroon to the Caribbean add nourishing, life-sustaining eggs to their inadequate diets.

The protein in just one egg is a nutritious gift for a hungry child. Protein-packed eggs from even a single chicken can make a life-saving difference.

Heifer helps many hungry families with a starter flock of 10 to 50 chicks. A good hen can lay up to 200 eggs a year - plenty to eat, share or sell.

Because chickens require little space and can thrive on readily available food scraps, families can make money from the birds without spending much. And chickens help control insects and fertilize gardens.

This is the message from Heifer after making the donation: Thank you for making a gift through Heifer International's online gift catalog. Because of your donation, we can continue doing our work across the globe — offering livestock, training and other resources to struggling families can become self-reliant. And because of the commitment each recipient makes to "Pass on the Gift", one purchase from you can create a ripple effect that soon empowers entire communities to lift themselves out of hunger and poverty once and for all.

A BIG Thank You again to our customers. Our girls should be laying again soon, but we have a little snow right now and they are not very happy about it. I encourage other small flock owners that just give eggs away to do the same. Our friends are very willing to pay for our eggs and especially knowing the money is helping others. It's a win win.

Don't know what to get for the person that has everything or wants nothing this holiday season? Heifer International is a great way to give in someones name or consider your favorite charity.

Spread the word. Spread the Love. Be A Good Egg!

Gallus Domesticus facts

That's Latin for chicken. It's molting season and egg production is way down. The girls look terrible. Most are practically naked and new feathers are not attractive when they are coming in. Apparently molting is triggered by lower light levels and after molting young chickens eggs will get bigger.

-Chickens were domesticated about 8000 years ago.
I thought this one was pretty interesting, 8000 years, wow.
-A hen lives an average of 5-7 years, but can live up to 20 years. She'll lay eggs her entire life, with production decreasing every year from year one.
I get asked a lot how long a chicken lives. Until now I didn't know. I get asked this because I have no intentions of eating my chickens. My girls are here to lay eggs and have a peaceful, lovely life eating bugs and being cute. So far my oldest chickens are 3.

Remember, spread the word, spread the love, be a Good Egg.

Project Linus

I found another group of people I think mentionable as GOOD EGGS. They are Project Linus. This group makes warm and wonderful security blankets for children and teens that are dealing with illness in the hospital. A perfect example on how each of us can make incredible differences in each others lives. Something so small as a blanket can make a scary, cold stay in the hospital warm and tolerable. There may be a Project Linus in your area. Check them out. More GOOD EGGS are out there...let's keep looking. Spread the word, spread the love, be a good egg.

P.S. Today's picture is the COOP, where it all happens. This the the little chicken resort and spa. Even while they are closed in they have two 16'x8' runs and a cherry tree for shade on one side. Let's not forget the fantastic view of the valley from their roosts. Chicken Fun Fact: The chicken was once considered a sacred animal symbolizing the sun.

Making a difference one egg at a time.

So we were driving home from a wonderful trip to Wisconsin a year ago and I was reflecting on what a happy life I have. I am so lucky to have a husband who is my best friend, a charming old farm house as my home, a fantastic view from our land, and the most beautiful friends and family anyone could imagine. I also get to wake up every day and if I so choose, do what I love...Make Pottery (muddyfishstudio.blogspot.com). While thinking about this I thought about my chickens and how they've changed my life. They are walking lawn ornaments. They are zen. They all have different personalities and are entertaining. I glow when friends ask me about my chickens. It's so incredibly silly, but it's true I just love them. So if they could make me so happy, maybe there was a way for me to spread the love and have them make others happy too.

I started out with 8 chicks in 2005 and have added chicks in '06 and '08. I had been giving my eggs away to friends, but all my friends where always willing to pay for them. So I thought I would change course a little. I would sell my eggs and the money raised would go to Heifer International at the end of the year. This way my customers get a good quality egg, free roaming for at least 8 hours a day, plus they have a very spacious coop and cage area when they are in at night, and my clients can also feel good because there purchase will go to a wonderful cause. My girls put out an egg-cellent product and at the end of the year they will be making other families in other countries very happy too.

My goal was to raise $100. I have already met that goal and still have three months of egg sales left. Be A GOOD EGG!

Namaste

P.S. The featured chicken is one of my Aussies, Teri. She is an Australorp and part of the '08 group. Australorps are known for their gentle nature and year round egg laying. Since I had decided to sell eggs I needed some winter layers. My Araucanas lay beautiful eggs, but come December/January they shut down the shoot and take a few months off. This will be the first winter with Australorps, we'll see how they do. So far they have lived up to their reputation for being gentle, they are very sweet natured and curious. Oh, I almost forgot to mention the dog in the picture is our chihuahua Meadow.

Be A GOOD EGG!!!

I believe we can all make a difference in the world. I really feel that making small steps to help others actually ends up making huge differences. Speaking from experience when I do something nice for someone seeing them feel good makes me feel good. It's a nice circle. Where I'm going with this is that we should all try to Be A Good Egg.

That's what this little blog is about, in a way. I'd like it to be a place to showcase my fabulous flock of working gals, my hens, and the good work they are doing and maybe learn a bit about chickens and kindness toward each other. In January of 2008 I started selling my chicken eggs with the idea that I would donate the money to Heifer International at the end of the year. I was selling them for $2.50/dz, but since the price of feed went up SOOOO much I changed the plan just slightly. I sell the eggs for $3/dz with $2 going to the donation fund and $1 to supplement the cost of feed and scratch. I'll chat about how this started on another day.

I'll also be showing off my girls and their life here on Fairacres. I hope you get a kick out of this little blog, maybe learn a thing a two about chickens with me and inspire you to Be A Good Egg too!

Namaste

P.S. The chicken on this post is Daphne. She is a Buff Orpington. Daphne is a member of the '08's. This means she was raised here on the farm in 2008. She's a gentle gal that makes a sound like a squeaky toy. She lays beautiful medium brown eggs.