Happy Solstice!

[DobieLover]

Many won't celebrate the return of the Sun
until near the Equinox in March.

That's because THEY don't have chickens!

 

[sourland]

 

[aart]

That's because THEY don't have chickens!

Or they're just oblivious...and many chicken keepers are thinking tomorrow their birds will miraculously start laying, cause hey its after Solstice!

 

[PirateGirl]

Or they're just oblivious...and many chicken keepers are thinking tomorrow their birds will miraculously start laying, cause hey its after Solstice!

My first winter with chickens, my Delaware laid her very first egg ever the day after solstice, so I will perpetuate that rumor!

 

[FeatherstoneFrm]

I had two eggs this morning! My two layers have been taking turns each day and skipping a day here and there.
I have a EE who should start laying soon and hopefully my two freeloaders will join in the fun.

 

[IamRainey]

Oh! Is today the day?

I look forward to longer days every year. I mean well before I had chickens and eggs were a consideration. It's just such an emotional lift!

But speaking of eggs, I have to take this opportunity to be grateful for my Cream Legbar, Lavina. Lavina has given us 2-3 eggs every week regardless of the fact that we provide no supplementary light. Her flockmate, Prudence, a Plymouth Rock, completely stopped laying 6-8 weeks ago despite the fact that I read PRs could be expected to lay through the Winter.

Now we've got 6 hens. The youngest are 25 weeks old now and all of them should be laying by the time the days lighten. My husband and I will be up to our eyeballs in eggs!

Happy Solstice to all of you! And I hope you have much to look forward to in the coming Spring.

 

[IamRainey]

Same here, it's the dark that gets to me. I do think I would mind the snow, though, if we had a lot of it. It's such a novelty here, we all think it's fun. I can count on one hand the number of times it's snowed here though, in my lifetime. I'm no spring chicken, either!

I'm from NYS but I've been in SoCal for the last 50 years. In all that time I've never gotten over missing snow. ...and when I was a kid I was the one who had to shovel it. I wasn't thrilled by that part but nothing compares to the smell of snow in the air and the glory of soft light or even bright light on newly fallen snow. And the quiet! It just wraps everything in a preternatural silence like nothing should distract you from the sight.

For many years we took off the day after Christmas for a week of snow and skiing. Then I broke a kneecap and my husband began having heart issues. So we don't do that anymore. But I will never get over my love affair with snow.

 

[IamRainey]

That's because THEY don't have chickens!

 

[SueT]

Last year, all of mine waited till March.....fingers crossed for this winter....

 

[Acre4Me]

We have 2 freeloaders that have never laid an egg (age 42 weeks), maybe this is just the ticket to get eggs from them!

We also have chicks that are 14 weeks old (1 each of 5 breeds), so curious if we will see an egg from any of them before the end of January(when they will be 20.5 weeks old on Jan 31).