just add milk

When we have plenty of milk, we give the chickens their share and they lay eggs.

When we don't have extra milk to give to our chickens, they show their disapproval by going on strike and laying very few eggs.

It happens every time, it seems. Late summer (I know it's fall, but the farm doesn't yet) and we put some cows out back to feed calves: less milk is coming up to the house and the chickens get shorted. They go from seventy to eighty percent lay down to twenty percent.

Then the fall calving happens and milk supply goes up again. The chickens get milk in their ration and two days later their rate of lay improves. We're up to 40% and climbing. Yes, it's fall (the chickens know, even if the farm doesn't), and they wont' go up to 80% again until March, but, folks, these birds are four years old and still laying well -- as long as we give them milk.

Milk makes eggs.