Signs of Spring: More Eggs!

There is snow on the ground and it's cold outside. In Colorado, March tends to be the snowiest month, and this year is an El Nino year so we're due to have several big wet spring snows. Spring feels really far away. Even spring planting in the garden like peas and spinach feel painfully far off.

But we've just begun to see one sign of spring. Our chickens are laying more eggs. All winter, with the shorter days and winter molting, we've gotten no more than one egg a day from our small flock of four birds. But in the last week, they've begun laying three eggs a day. We give them no artificial light or heat; it's the longer days that is kicking them into higher production. This is the first spring we will have chickens, as they are just about a year old now. I'm enjoying the unexpected sign that spring really is on its way.

Obviously this is why Ostara, the spring equinox, is celebrated with eggs! We celebrate the return of nourishment through one of these simple signs of spring. By keeping chickens we are learning more about the natural cycles of the Wheel of the Year and how they manifest.