This is about a week’s haul in the winter—2 dozen eggs, give or take. (I can’t see through Abby’s hand.) In springtime, it will be about one day’s worth. We will have so many eggs floating around that we’ll have to find a way to freeze them, or something. Can you freeze eggs?

Jess took this picture to demonstrate the size of the chicken eggs compared with those of the duckies. Duck eggs are supposed to be larger, but the chicken eggs (the brown ones) are almost the same size. Either we have really fat hens (true) or the ducks are still so scared of being caught and butchered that their eggs are small (possible).

I had occasion last summer to open a container of store-bought eggs. Their uniform whiteness startled me, as if they had been laid by machine. Their shells seemed fragile and their taste watery. Well, that’s the case if you grow and make most of your own food. (The kids are not weaned off of the occasional sugary cereal or Ritz Crackers, yet.) You grow used to richer tastes and heartier textures, and you seem to get a little snobbish as well. If only the ducks laid bigger eggs.

I have to figure out how to reduce the trauma when it’s butcherin’ time. My dad said that to catch poultry for butchering you can take a long stick with a bit of wire taped to the end and bent into a hook, and snag their legs with it. It looks like I may have a chance to give that a go. Remember the white chick, Tubaloth? We found out recently that he’s a rooster—and we can’t use two roosters.