In the local elementary school, fourth grade students hatch chicks as part of the science curriculum—learning about the daily development of a chicken egg along with way. Egg customers of ours will occasionally ask about eggs so I thought I’d include a few of the answers to the frequently asked questions (I stay refreshed because both my children have hatched chicks in class in recent years—plus, I can always ask them!)

Are all eggs fertilized?
Nope. Only if a rooster has been in the “company” of a hen. Usually, one rooster can “service” approximately ten or so hens. Roosters are necessary only if you wish to hatch chicks (of course, they’re also beautiful to have around).

You mean a hen will lay an egg that’s unfertilized?
Yep. In fact, that’s how it happens in, I’d say, most of the commercial egg “battery cages.” See our egg in the dish on the left?  Note the blastoderm. That’s the little concentric circle in the yolk. It’s indicative of a fertilized egg. The egg on the right is one I purchased from the grocery store (hadn’t done that in years).

Why are the yolks from your chickens so orange-ish?
We feed our chickens “feed corn” purchased from a local farmer and supplement with “layer” feed. They are free-rangers (given access to come and go as they please) and are outdoors from sun-up to sunset. I say:  orange-yellow yolk equals happy hen.

What are the white squiggly things attached to the yolks?
The chalazae are on either side of the yolk, stretched tightly, to anchor the yolk to the shell. They recoil against the yolk and “squiggle” when the shell is broken. There is no harm in eating the chalazae.

Are brown eggs better for you?
Unfortunately, I just read that some white shells are dyed brown (news to me?!) because consumers believe the brown shell means a healthier egg. I can’t find any evidence to support this. I will tell you a chicken with white lobes (they look like earlobes—if chickens had ears) will lay white eggs and a chicken with red lobes will lay brown eggs. There are a few exceptions to this. The most noteworthy is the green-blue egg laying Auracana (but that’s another blog post, altogether).

According to Storey’s Guide To Raising Chickens, “sperm of a fertilized egg contributes an insignificant amount of nutrients to a fertilized egg” and “shell color has nothing to do with an egg’s nutritional content.”

Colette

Colette was to be one of our “new moms” (everyone is due in a couple of weeks). She was bred for the first time last October when we brought “Blue,” the ram, to our farm.

With Colette, we knew we’d have a special delivery, or deliveries (Churro tend to have multiples). She’s a big girl and has great Churro conformation. Not only that, but her temperament is so very sweet. So, like I said, we knew she was going to “throw” special babies. I was certain.

About 10 days ago, David came in from the barn and said one of the ewes had given birth during the night. I knew instantly the lamb couldn’t have lived. None of the ewes were at full-term (5 months).

After checking all the ewes in Colette’s stall, we found evidence it was Colette who had miscarried. I was headed to New York that day for a shoot and left, heartbroken.

She seemed to be acting fine. She was eating. There was no additional discharge. We all just figured Nature had run its course and, for whatever reason, the odds were against that little ram-lamb.

I was shocked to learn (once again, on another shoot a week later in NY) that Colette was in labor again. It hadn’t even dawned on any of us she could still be carrying another lamb!

Unfortunately, she needed assistance to deliver; this lamb was, also, stillborn. David ended up calling the vet at midnight and I was so glad he did. Dr. Dickerson helped deliver a sour afterbirth and administered antibiotics to clear any infection.

Colette - on the mend

After 5 years of lambing, this is our first experience with a miscarriage. It’s a very sad occurrence but, thankfully, Colette seems better now and hopefully, she’ll have a better go of it next year. She’ll be a wonderful mom with beautiful babies; it’ll be worth the wait.

We went to my parents’ in Virginia for Thanksgiving this year.

On Black Friday (I don’t do the “shopping thing” anyway), the family decided to go to the local SPCA.

We’d been seriously considering a dog for the family–most likely a beagle–for over a year (I had been raised with a variety of gun dogs but was on the fence as to the “perfect match” for our family).

Living on a farm, you can imagine the odors that come in with you from the barn on any given day. Not to mention the fact that when you have free-ranging poultry, a bird dog might be taking the kids for a walk instead of the other way around.

Enter “Clark.”

His pen at the SPCA (does anyone say “pound” anymore?) appeared empty when we first passed by (we discovered later he’d been hiding beneath his bed). Literally, as I bent down (waaaay down) to greet him at his gate, an adoption counselor suggested the family and Clark go to a private room together… and that, as they say, was that.

We traveled home to Pennsylvania that following Monday after his neuter. The Fauquier County SPCA brought him up to date on his shots, neutered, and micro-chipped him.

He’s a wire-haired dachshund—I’ll bet very close to full-bred, too. My daughter’s dog breed book says the wire-hair (terrier) was bred into the dachshund so that the coat would add a protective layer when the dogs were hunting in briars and brush. What would they hunt? Badgers, and sometime, foxes; amazing!

Clark turned one year old the day after Christmas and has settled in nicely here with us. Oh, let’s face it: WE LOVE HIM!!  He’s cuddly, smart, obedient, fun, and all-around adorable. You know that old animal adoption adage:  who rescued whom? Exactly.

Join Tracy as she continues our tour of Kramer Tree Farms. We learn more about types of Christmas Trees and the time and techniques required to bring them to harvest. Afterward Tracy demonstrates how to make an appealing Christmas Wreath to adorn  your home.

This is part two of a two-part webisode.

Join Tracy as she tours Kramer Tree Farms to learn about types of Christmas Trees and the time and techniques required to get one ready for your holiday living room.

This is part one of a two-part webisode.

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Felicia Fisher, founder of the Black Buggy Baking Company, drops in to Tracy’s kitchen to show us how she bakes her well-known specialty, a wet-bottom Shoo Fly Pie.

If there’s one common element that links all of the folks I’ve met on the series, it’s passion. And Mark Lopez is a prime example.

The number of registered Ayrshires in North America has declined significantly over the past 30 years. See the ALBC website for more. www.albc-usa.org/

Mark is a husband, father, veterinarian, and dairy farmer—but not just any dairy farmer. He harvests raw milk from his heritage breed Ayrshire dairy cows. His time, energy, years of education, and love for his herd come to focus upon ensuring the quality of his dairy products. The herd grazes naturally on grass and enters the barn for milking twice a day, every day. Each individual in the herd is known by her name and sweet, subtle quirks.

Mark’s passion is not only for his beloved Ayrshire but also for the dairy operation itself. Harvesting and public sale of raw milk require the maintenance of strict standards in the collection process as well as throughout the collection areas.

Wholesome Dairy Farms is a special place; I’m glad it’s part of the ag community in this valley.

Come along with Tracy Toth, our host, as we visit Wholesome Dairy Farms to learn about raw milk production and the Ayrshire heritage breed of dairy cattle.

Tracy Toth, our host, continues our day at the fair. We learn more of “all things Ag” at the Oley Valley Community Fair in part two of our two-part webisode.

Join our host, Tracy Toth, as she introduces us to a communal celebration of “all things Ag” at the Community Fair in part one of this two-part webisode.