I forgot to mention a little ringer I threw into this project, just to keep it interesting. On Tuesday afternoon I met a lady at a gas station off Route 29 in Madison for a quick deal. She jumped out of a maroon minivan with a taped-over tail light as I pulled up behind the building. She handed me an egg carton containing six eggs, I forked over a $20, and lickety split, we separated and hit the road in different directions.

It was at its heart a true CraigsList deal. A few e-mails exchanged beforehand, a quick phone call, an arrangement to meet at a blessedly public place. My prize? Six Coronation Sussex hatching eggs.

Now, if you’re not familiar with the Coronation Sussex, allow me to introduce you:

(Photo from BJs Poultry)

Pretty chickens, huh?

The eggs I bought supposedly come from Greenfire Farms lines, and you can read all about them and see more photos here. However, as with any CraigsList deal, you can never know. They could be store-bought eggs pulled from the fridge minutes before flying out the door. And, as with the purchase of any hatching eggs, one is never guaranteed a success. Don’t count your chickens…

Regardless of these known unknowns, I figured I’d give it a try. I’m not in the business of maintaining any fancy chicken bloodlines, so if I get a couple of pretty birds out of the deal that’s good enough for me!

Oh, and a very exciting possible farm development is underway. On Saturday I am visiting a farm over the mountain to talk to a lady about some baby goats. To, you know…just…visit…

Stay tuned!