The two oldest boys of some friends of mine have gone into the egg business. They call themselves the Egg Men, fittingly enough (their real names are Sam and Ben). I went today to pick up a dozen and a half—which made for some serious arithmetic practice, since they're used to selling even dozens, $5 a box. I got a discount: $7 for 18 eggs. And what beauties they are. I did not know chicken eggs came in so many colors!
I of course asked to be introduced to the layers, of which they have about seventy(!!!), of many different varieties. That's a lotta chickens! Also three roosters. The boys' mom says they started out with a normal amount, about seventeen, but six months ago they decided to augment the flock. I wouldn't actually have known there were so many: it just seemed like a bunch of chickens. Nothing really overwhelming about them. Most were in the coop, with a few—including all three handsome roosters—wandering around outside.
The younger boy, Ben, held his 4H "show" chicken while we walked and talked. She is a little bantam and nameless. His mom explained that when she was in 4H she had a large chicken, and you have to stand very still for a long period holding your chicken, and large chickens get
heavy—so the boys took her and the 4H leader's advice to start off with a little bantam. Ben asked if I'd ever petted a chicken, and it occurred to me that no, I probably never have. So I got to pet his. The prickly pin feathers were surprising.
The different colored eggs come from different breeds, of course. I just looked up chicken breeds, and man, there are a lot! One of my favorites today was the white-headed black Polish: they had two, one named Michael Jackson, the other Elvis (though both are female, but never mind). If I had one, I might name it Beethoven. Or perhaps Ludwigga.
Now I'm looking forward to eating these eggs. I bet they'll be delicious.
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