With Christmas long over, Easter approaching faster than proofing hot cross buns with conventional yeast, and food trends fading in and out, the egg is a stabilising constant.
All those geniuses who had the time and space to heed the call to homesteading at the start of the pandemic are finally reaping rewards. I applaud them, though I’m somewhat frustrated at the bottleneck in the supply chain they created – causing shortages of seeds, seedlings, beehives and future egg-laying chicks.
Around April last year, when I usually put in my farm order for pullets, I was told by no less than six of my suppliers that they’d been wiped clean of chickens, ducks and geese at every stage. Apparently even the chicken shelter in Lismore, aimed at the altruism of vegans, had more volunteers than a desirable debutante’s dance card.
Those who managed to procure baby chicks early on (and keep them…
