Another Designer Egg — Go Hawks!

A New Egg Shape

A New Egg Shape

Yesterday two of our girls gave us eggs – a blue one from one of the Ameracaunas and a pinkish-brown, football shaped one from one of the Wyandottes. Go Seahawks!

Beyond the color, which is appropriate and expected from the Ameracaunas, there have never been any surprises from those two hens. But the Silver Laced Wyandottes are another story. One or both of them is either creative, experimental, or confused. During the two-and-a-half years that they’ve been laying, one or both has given us a variety of egg shapes and sizes.

Wrinkled Eggs This past week or ten days, we’ve received two of the football eggs. Some time ago we went through a period of wrinkled eggs. And then, when the hens were new to laying, there were several huge eggs which, of course, turned out to be double-yolkers. Since we have only two brown (supposedly) egg layers, we know it’s one of those ladies who has the artistic touch. One or both.

Online at http://www.grit.com/animals/how-a-chicken-makes-an-egg-why-some-eggs-are-unusual.aspx#axzz3CLzXtMkF is the website, “Grit: Rural American Know How.” Its illustrated article, “How a Chicken Makes and Egg and Why Some Eggs are Unusual,” is complete with photographs and graphics and, after reading it, you will know more about chickens and their phenomenal abilities than you ever thought possible.  Like who knew that there could be an egg within an egg?  I commend the site to my readers who are interested in such phenomena.

One Huge Egg

One Huge Egg

What it doesn’t tell me is how to identify which of our hens is the creative one. Is it the one who clucks and cackles and carries on each time she has laid an egg? Of all four girls, there is just one that gives us a four or five minute announcement each time she produces an egg. She is obviously proud of her accomplishment – or maybe in the case of the huge double-yolked eggs – relieved that her mission for the day is complete.

Not that it matters which girl is gifted. The eggs, no matter the color or shape, are delicious and, once they are out of the shell, all look alike. But it does make the egg-gathering each day a bit of an adventure. What next?

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