EGGceptional..

Have I mentioned I love chickens?  It seems we have finally eradicated our ugly chicken virus and my chickens are healthy, happy and approaching their first birthday.

I had purchased 6 little chicks - all sold to me as hens.  As they grew, one didn't match the others.  It turns out I ended up with a fine and handsome rooster who takes his job very seriously.  He struts and crows and protects his harem from pesky interlopers.  He is truly magnificent.

But then I'm a little partial.

Since we seem to have beaten the virus, the worst of the winter weather is behind us and I conveniently have a rooster to do a rooster's job I have decided to allow my chickens to make more chickens.  Cuz, again... I love chickens and 5 chickens is not enough.

Since I'm trying to encourage my chickens to make more chickens I am not gathering their eggs on a daily basis.  I want one of them to get broody and start sitting.  They need a batch of eggs to do that.

I am still unsuccessful at convincing my hens to sit on eggs.  Today I gathered up the existing clutch preparing to try again in a week.  I immediately became concerned.  I was thinking that one of my poor hens must have gotten VERY hurt in this process. It had to hurt.  How could it not hurt??  Yikes!

I took this 'ostrich egg' to Peter to seek his input.  He has experience at these things.  He's a doctor even.  He could assure me that this was normal, or at least that I did not have a hen with problems.

His first comment was "that seems a strange color..."
Then I looked at his eyes.  They were twinkling and he had a repressed grin on his face.

Yep.  I was on the getting end of a practical joke.  Seems THIS egg was layed by one of our geese late last week.  Peter had put in the chicken coop three days ago and was just waiting, waiting waiting for me to make this discovery.  I did not disappoint.  Someday I hope to be less gullible.