Chicken or the Egg?

In my case, I believe the chicken can first because my family has raised chickens for the last 15 years. Often we'd would get our chicks from Murray McMurray Hatchery. Most people think chicks came from other chickens, not ours. Our chicks came from the Post Office. Okay, I'm being silly here. I know the facts of life and where animals come from, etc. Seriously, we would order our chicks and the the hatchery would ship them to us with 48 hours of them hatching. It sounds cruel, but it's not and it is safe. First, a minimum of chicks needs to be purchased to they can maintain enough body heat. They have to be shipped within 48 hours because before they hatch, they draw in the remaining yolk in the egg into their abdomens and this enables the chicks to go safely without food and water for 48-72 hours. Plus, their very flexible bodies allow them to be put in a crate (with air holes of course) safely. It's fun when the Post Office calls at 6AM there is a box with your name on it and it is cheeping. The Post Office can only accept live animals apparently, not deliver them.

Today I bought the first dozen of eggs in I don't know how long. I know, an odd point to make, except that I don't buy eggs. As mentioned, my family raises chickens. I still live close enough to my parents that I can get my eggs from them. It just happens that this week I was going to be in the vicinity and needed eggs. It's not the same, but I will live. Yes, I can honestly tell the difference in look and taste of the eggs from my parents and the store.



Course, if you had chickens that laid brown, blue, green, and speckled eggs; they'd be more interesting for you as well? Little known secret about my life is that I know a bit about chickens. Up until the time I moved out, it was my job to help care for them. I even showed a few birds in the county fair and placed every year. Often when my family gets new chicks, I am also the first one to pick out the cockerels that will be roosters. (Not a huge talent I brag about.)

So, I still maintain my stand that the chicken came first. A hint to another misconception about chickens, roosters don't lay eggs. So the infamous riddle "If a rooster sits on a barn roof and lays an egg, which way will it roll?" is a trick question.*

(*Please see title of the blog if you have any questions about this post.)