some eggy tidbits
Both of these chicks turned out to be hens.
The longer days have resulted in a glut of eggs around here – hens I had thought were well into henopause have started laying again, and a chick I got last year that left me wondering if it was a rooster has proven she is a hen (I'd happily keep a rooster, except that in my urban area that wouldn't be fair to my neighbours). With extra eggs in the fridge, I've been thinking a lot about eggs.
Ever dropped an egg? It turns out an egg can be repaired – good news for Humpty Dumpty! Even better news for a Kakapo egg as these ground dwelling parrots are critically endangered. Here's a story about an accidentally crushed Kakapo egg that was repaired, then hatched.
Or, considering Easter is approaching, how about natural egg dying? These natural, homemade dyes look great – especially the blues and reds. Beet juice creates a great red/purple/pink range of colours. Perhaps not really appropriate for dyeing eggs, crushed cochineal insects also produce a great and non-toxic red dye that is found in all sorts of processed food. As a slight tangent - up until roughly the 1950s, cochineal was the dye used for British army uniforms. This dye gets listed under a number of different names such as 'natural red 4' or 'red #40.'
In general red colouring in food causes me some concern, a while back I took a look at the surprisingly long list of red dyes in a brand of iron pills that my doctor recommended I take. I have no biological need for cadmium, yet it could be found in those iron pills (among other unnecessary things). Apparently, cerium can be used as a non-toxic alternative to cadmium. However, I've since found iron pills with no colouring at all.
As a final note: check out these finches playing the guitar.