Freshest Eggs I Ever 'Et!

The hens started laying today.  The Princess went out this morning to let them out of the coops/pen, and came running back into the house shouting, "Zombie laid eggs!"  Well, Zombie was setting on them, anyway.  She thought there were three, but when we actually looked, there were five, one nearly buried in the wood chips under the straw in the nesting box.  We took them inside... the Pirate was upset because she wanted Zombie to set on them 'til they HATCHED.  I had to explain this wasn't the right time of year to let her do that, and we would be eating all the eggs the hens laid until Spring.  Zombie left the coop after we took the eggs, wandering off on another chicken field trip with the rest of the flock.

We went inside, cracked the eggs which were incredibly ORANGE, stirred them up and scrambled them.  Even stirred up they were the bright yellow of the walls in my kitchen.  And they were the most delicious scrambled eggs I've ever had, just all creamy goodness.  After that was homeschool.

Then we noticed that the chicken field trip had gotten into the neighbor's yard (they've been doing that for the last two weeks - ever since the weather turned bad, probably because the neighbor's barnyard is more sheltered from the wind than ours, I'm guessing).  So we took a break from school and went out to call them home - I went into the coop to grab some corn and noticed yet another egg right on top of the nest box next to the one that held all the other eggs earlier.  Feeling generous if not virtuous, I am saving it for El Jefe, rather than frying it sunny side up and snarfing it myself, which I admit was my first inclination.  

So, of the 13 hens, 6 began laying today.  They were little brown eggs, one long and skinny, the rest normal egg shapes, some darker and some kind of speckled.  I'm assuming they all belong to the various Rocks, since I think the Blue Andalusians lay white eggs.  I'll have to check that to be sure.  The TopHats are still in Chicken Ghetto, so I know they aren't laying yet.

I'm so happy I could hug a hen.  Except they bite my ear when they sit on my shoulder.  I don't know what's up with that...