Good news about eggs!

In the well blog in this morning's New York Times, Tara Parker Pope wrote about the positive health qualities of eggs. She quoted from the March, 2008 Berkeley Wellness Letter.

The sound bite is that eggs got a bad rap. It turns out that some folks are sensitive to dietary cholesterol -- about 1/3 of the population. For them, eating eggs can raise cholesterol. But not for the rest of us. And, when cholesterol rises in sensitive people, they form larger globs of LDL, which are less risky than the tiny suckers.

What's more, eggs are full of wonderful nutrients including lutein to protect against macular degeneration, vitamin A, B vitamins, zinc and iron.

So get out your frying pan (and olive oil, not butter!). If you want to read the whole report, here it is: http://www.wellnessletter.com/html/wl/2008/wlFeatured0308.html

What a rooster!

This morning I took a couple of photos with Tweedledum. As I held him, I explained to him that he could make himself very useful in the barn if he would kill all the baby mice that are running around. Then I went into the other side of the coop.

While I fed the other hens I heard the squeak of yet another mouse. Aargh! Then I returned to Tweedledum's side and what did I discover? He had the mouse in his beak and was beating it to the ground! Left side, right side, back and forth until it was dead. And then, just like a snake, he swallowed it whole!

What a rooster!

New Guy in the Barn

Although my broody hens have stuck for weeks, none of the eggs is developing, which says to me that Egglebert is not getting his job done. I had been thinking about adding a second rooster.

Then on Sunday I got a message from my friend Peg asking if I would like a rooster. Providence! Synchronicity! Put it out there and the universe provides!

There's always a catch. I got to Peg's house with my cat carrier all ready for transport. She told me she had gotten twenty chicks in the spring and four ended up being boys. Way bad ratio. She had two Ameraucana roosters and two banties. Well, of course the banties are really beautiful and she's keeping them! We caught one of the Ameraucana boys and then she said "well, why don't you take both of them?" I should have said no right then and there, but I was swept up in the moment so I allowed her to add the second one to my box. "Good luck!" she said. "I hope I haven't passed on any problems!"

No way do I need to have three roosters. I got the two home, put them in a wire dog crate to calm down. Tweedledee pecked Tweedledum, wouldn't let him eat, constantly fussed at him. Tweedledee's got to go. I sent out feelers. Did anyone even return my e-mails??? No one wants a rooster!

Today I moved Tweedledum into the chicken pen. My plan was for him to stay in his own crate in there for a few days, then go loose with them. But he had other ideas, broke free, and now Egglebert has his ladies isolated in one corner, fending off the marauder. I think they'll work it out in the next few days.

That leaves Tweedledee. Anyone want a rooster?