Animals
Currently, we have about 30 layers....producing about 15 (plus or minus) eggs a day. We have a dozen more Rhode Island Red adolescents that will begin to lay later this winter. The amazing thing to me is the variety of color and size that we get in any given clutch of eggs. They range from a pinkish brown to a spotted tan/brown and from small to jumbo. Chickens are probably the best investment you can make if you have a little extra land and an absence of zoning restrictions. 
Chickens cost relatively little to maintain and more than earn their keep in egg production. Our girls have a constant supply of chicken feed and get our table scraps on top of that. The rule of thumb is...."if you would eat it....so would your chicken". The converse of that is true....don't ever feed your chickens something that you, yourself, would not eat. Since we are very careful about our own diet, our chickens dine like gourmets. During the summer, they get the extra harvest that does not get preserved....tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries are a favorite treat. They also have time every day to roam the farm scavenging for bugs and tasty foliage. This type of diet produces eggs that outshine any that you can buy in a store. In fact, I can assure you we will never again eat pale, tasteless, store-bought eggs. Chickens will always be a part of our farm!
- I Need An Answer
I have a question for you...something that has me worried. Here it is..... At what point does one qualify to be labeled a chicken hoarder? Seriously, I know I am not a hoarder,but my flock seems to be growing as the years pass. My problem is this.......
- Egg-stremes
Yesterday afternoon I gathered eggs as usual. Our hens have not slowed down in egg production this winter. I keep an infra-red light on in their henhouses all winter for warmth. Does this affect egg production? Your guess is as good as mine. Well, things...
- Elvis Is Singing A New Song
Here's Elvis, out with his gals and he's singing a new song! "It's now or never......" he croons. Elvis is as concerned as I am about our hens' dwindling egg production. Ever since that dog attack several weeks ago, production has been...
- Faq
I had a few questions regarding my last post and raising chickens. If you are interested in raising chickens, a little research into breeds will tell you what type you prefer. Every different breed has a different egg. There are even chickens who lay...
- The Business Of Eggs....
Now that Spring has arrived, not only are the chickens laying regularly, but now the ducks have begun egg production. What to do with all these eggs? We could eat them all, but our cholesterol levels might suffer. We give away dozens to friends and neighbors,...
Animals
The Long and the Short of Egg Production
Currently, we have about 30 layers....producing about 15 (plus or minus) eggs a day. We have a dozen more Rhode Island Red adolescents that will begin to lay later this winter. The amazing thing to me is the variety of color and size that we get in any given clutch of eggs. They range from a pinkish brown to a spotted tan/brown and from small to jumbo. Chickens are probably the best investment you can make if you have a little extra land and an absence of zoning restrictions. Chickens cost relatively little to maintain and more than earn their keep in egg production. Our girls have a constant supply of chicken feed and get our table scraps on top of that. The rule of thumb is...."if you would eat it....so would your chicken". The converse of that is true....don't ever feed your chickens something that you, yourself, would not eat. Since we are very careful about our own diet, our chickens dine like gourmets. During the summer, they get the extra harvest that does not get preserved....tomatoes, strawberries and blueberries are a favorite treat. They also have time every day to roam the farm scavenging for bugs and tasty foliage. This type of diet produces eggs that outshine any that you can buy in a store. In fact, I can assure you we will never again eat pale, tasteless, store-bought eggs. Chickens will always be a part of our farm!- I Need An Answer
I have a question for you...something that has me worried. Here it is..... At what point does one qualify to be labeled a chicken hoarder? Seriously, I know I am not a hoarder,but my flock seems to be growing as the years pass. My problem is this.......
- Egg-stremes
Yesterday afternoon I gathered eggs as usual. Our hens have not slowed down in egg production this winter. I keep an infra-red light on in their henhouses all winter for warmth. Does this affect egg production? Your guess is as good as mine. Well, things...
- Elvis Is Singing A New Song
Here's Elvis, out with his gals and he's singing a new song! "It's now or never......" he croons. Elvis is as concerned as I am about our hens' dwindling egg production. Ever since that dog attack several weeks ago, production has been...
- Faq
I had a few questions regarding my last post and raising chickens. If you are interested in raising chickens, a little research into breeds will tell you what type you prefer. Every different breed has a different egg. There are even chickens who lay...
- The Business Of Eggs....
Now that Spring has arrived, not only are the chickens laying regularly, but now the ducks have begun egg production. What to do with all these eggs? We could eat them all, but our cholesterol levels might suffer. We give away dozens to friends and neighbors,...