Chicken Hubris

Every day for weeks it seems I have been checking in on the chickens, looking around to see if anyone had laid an egg in some stray spot. As the weather grew colder my hopes grew dimmer. Perhaps they would skip the winter altogether, and not lay any eggs until spring. I've heard of it happening. The waiting and wondering has been a bit demoralizing.


On Halloween, I was rushing to feed the chickens and put them to bed so I could start cooking for our dinner guests. It was growing dark and cold, so I didn't even check the boxes. I just scooped out some food from the bin and tossed it into the feeder. When I was returning the scoop, I saw them. There in the straw next to the feeder was a tidy, round basin scratched into the bale. In the center of the divot was two eggs. I was elated. I gasped. I jumped up and down. I giddily ran to the house with my prizes in hand. My girls are women now!

A couple of days later, I had a small twinge of guilt as I cooked their hard work and hopes for breakfast.
Of course, once they hit their stride they'll be turning out hard work and hope about once a day, so it's best to keep these things in perspective. Chickens are animals. Eggs are food. Breakfast was fantastic.

Eggs in a Basket with Chicken Sausage a $200+ Country Breakfast

Someone asked us how much these eggs cost.  By the time we cooked that breakfast we had four eggs. Let's do the math:

Organic feed and scratch for five months: $275
Feeders and watering cans: $150
Electricity: $50
Chicken Run: $500
Straw and Bedding: $60

Total cost = $1035

So, the cost of that wonderful farm fresh breakfast begins at $258.75. Obviously there are fixed costs, so the price will drop as they produce more eggs. How does one apply credit for entertainment value and flavorfulness?

Even though they are great eggs, it's neither the bottom line nor the tastiness of these wonderful ovoid delicacies that matter to me most right now. As hubristic as this may sound, I'm awfully proud of them. Animals or not... keep up the good work, ladies!