Also, I need to send out a HUGE thanks to my parents for helping us get going on our building this last week! We are so happy with what we got accomplished, and we were able to get to a point where we can continue to progress on our own - although we always will welcome any offers of help. :)
Not only did we get a lot accomplished, but we also got a lot of eggs! Knowing that our chickens are eating their eggs, I frequently checked the pen to snatch them before they disappeared. Some days I managed to rescue up to four of them. It is nice to have a good supply of eggs in the fridge again, however, I think I could use them up in less than a week: hard boiled, egg noodles, banana bread, omelets . . . Pastured eggs are so nutritious, especially for expecting moms. You can read about some of their benefits here.Unfortunately, we probably won't be able to stash away the eggs this coming week. Although we will be out there working a bit, we won't be able to be out there all day long like last week.
It won't be long now until we will be living there though. And next year, when we have eggs for sale, we will definitely have a fresh batch of hens!
5 comments:
Just Curious... do the chickens have an enclosed area to lay eggs with a bit of straw? Or are they just laying the eggs on the ground? We always had a hutch for them to go in to lay their eggs.
Becky in SC - used to live on a dairy farm in Upstate NY
You might have pointed to one of our problems with our hens, and one that we have been wanting to address. Last year we did have raised nest boxes for them, however, the nest boxes are at my father-in-law's with our old flock of hens.
Right now we are just using milk crates with straw, but the crates are on the ground. So the eggs aren't really "Out of sight, out of mind", especially since the hens are in a portable enclosed pen - it is moved to fresh grass to keep the eggs pastured.
We have so much going on right now, that building a new nest box has fallen low on our priority list. Next year, however, the hens will be in a chicken coop on wheels that will follow the herd of Dexters. They will be let out on pasture and then shut up at night every day. We will also have raised nest boxes. So hopefully this will take care of the egg eating.
If only there were more hours in the day . . . :)
My parents raise laying hens (they have somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 or so of various breeds) and my sister cares for them. She euthanizes the ones that eat eggs (occasionally she gets one that will eat them even though they've got raised boxes). I don't know if that's a practical solution for you or not but my sister says that once an egg eater, always an egg eater and she doesn't want them breeding into her flock. It seems to work for them, though again, they have so many that it may not even be a practical solution for you.
; ) When you find more hours in a day let me know so we can perhaps share. LOL!
We have a small flock, too. I didn't think I would like having chickens, but the free, unlimited supply of eggs right outside my door has been fantastic- especially for someone who likes to bake. Ha, if you need recipes on using them up, let me know! The egg eating thing- do you have grit out for them? I notice that when they need some calcium or whatever, they tend to do it more. And just keeping plenty of straw in their boxes and picking up frequently. We have had problems like this off and on, but I have never had to do in a chicken for it. We are getting our new chicks today to be ready for spring laying...so excited!
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