No HovaBator...yet.

So, The HovaBator hasn't arrived yet. I know, I know. Given the whole six to eight business days shipping policy, it would make more sense to start expecting an arrival at, maybe, the sixth day. But that's just not me. Marc, my husband, ordered car parts on Monday, and got them yesterday when he accosted the UPS guy in town and literally asked him, "So...you got anything for me?" I'm not saying he actually went looking for the UPS guy, but...

In any case, I'm waiting at home patiently. My hens keep cranking out the eggs, although Marc says we should wait until the incubator comes before we start collecting those destined to be future poopers on the porch and layers in bunny's bed. Marc also says the roosters that we get will have to be killed. Seriously? It didn't say anything about offing roosters in The HovaBator info from Ebay. Of course I understand the logic of it. Roosters are hardwired to care for and protect a flock of hens. One rooster per flock. We will only have one flock, even with the new hens. And Bruce, bless his mighty and somewhat foolish heart, is head rooster. Once the hormones hit, any young roosters we have will be strongly inclined to spend their days fighting each other and trying to get at the hens. Wait, that sounds vaguely familiar...

In any case, it's not a life if they are never going to actually get any hens, and it will just be chaos out there. It's the practical, farmerish thing to do. Marc is the practical farmerish one in this operation. Thanks to the internet I have a fair bit of knowledge about raising chickens, and due to the constant presence of bread in my pockets they do tend to see me as a bit of a god, but I'm not very practical. I want to put plastic flowers in their coop yard, to brighten the place up a bit. I still have several "special" eggs stored in my fridge - the largest one, the smallest (a green one the size of an olive), a blue Americana egg and an egg that has wrinkles in the shell, just because it is interesting, just to name a few.

Marc is the one who does any "offing" that needs doing, who disposes of dead bodies, etc. Although a few days ago he found a mouse in the dog's food bag on the porch, and he implemented a new "catch & release" policy, letting it go where he claims it won't be able to return. Where...Paris? I did wonder how much of the new policy is based on the fact that the night before we had watched the movie, Alvin & The Chipmunks, The Squeakquel.

All I can say is that when I am choosing the eggs to be incubated, I am going to be seriously praying that I am choosing hens and not roosters. Yes, yes, yes, I know we are going to end up eating them if they don't hatch. Don't confuse the issue with facts. The point is, eating an egg with cheese, a bit of basil and a tomato slice is a lot easier that wrangling the neck of a fluffy chick. I'm thinking the catch & release option won't work here, either.

Help!