We’re getting about a dozen per day from our hens. I don’t eat store bought eggs as I can’t stand the taste and texture but 8 or 10 eggs, bacon and hash browns along with a big glass of cold raw milk makes for a great dinner. We’ll be getting another 6 chicks soon and then another 6 in the fall….hopefully we’ll have a broody hen to raise them. Our favorite momma hen that raised several clutches for us over the years just succumbed to eagle predation. We’re hoping another hen steps up as a surrogate because it sure makes it easier.
Around here, the culprit has been the 'bird flu' affecting large turkey and chicken operations in MN and WI... What are they in your areas??
Cost to me is a secure shelter for them in to sleep at night without concern for foxes and such, nest boxes in the hen house, clean water, some feed to supplement their daily foraging, and some land for them to forage on.
About half my flock:
One hen laying an egg:
Another one: (Actually, this is the broody one incubating her eggs last year)
Typical daily collection (actually, most days, I get six):
We’re getting about a dozen per day from our hens. I don’t eat store bought eggs as I can’t stand the taste and texture but 8 or 10 eggs, bacon and hash browns along with a big glass of cold raw milk makes for a great dinner. We’ll be getting another 6 chicks soon and then another 6 in the fall….hopefully we’ll have a broody hen to raise them. Our favorite momma hen that raised several clutches for us over the years just succumbed to eagle predation. We’re hoping another hen steps up as a surrogate because it sure makes it easier.
I had a hen go broody last year. She hatched out two and carefully raised them up.
It's amazing to watch a mother hen take care of her chicks.
I agree on the taste of store bought. Even the ones marked organic or free range stink.
I've been keeping free range laying hens since 2010. My immediate neighbors get free eggs.
We’re getting about a dozen per day from our hens. I don’t eat store bought eggs as I can’t stand the taste and texture but 8 or 10 eggs, bacon and hash browns along with a big glass of cold raw milk makes for a great dinner. We’ll be getting another 6 chicks soon and then another 6 in the fall….hopefully we’ll have a broody hen to raise them. Our favorite momma hen that raised several clutches for us over the years just succumbed to eagle predation. We’re hoping another hen steps up as a surrogate because it sure makes it easier.
I had a hen go broody last year. She hatched out two and carefully raised them up.
It's amazing to watch a mother hen take care of her chicks.
I agree on the taste of store bought. Even the ones marked organic or free range stink.
I've been keeping free range laying hens since 2010. My immediate neighbors get free eggs.
It is incredible to watch the natural instincts of a broody hen take over. Our favorite momma hen, Mrs. Doubtfire, raised 5 or 6 broods. The first time we did it she was broody and one night while she was sleeping in her nesting box (because she was broody) my wife put 12 chicks under her. Imagine waking up one morning and finding 12 babies that you’re forced to raise? 😂 She was a wonderful mother and she had the “respect” of the rest of the flock so none of them were ever mean to the chicks. Mrs. Doubtfire raised somewhere around 40 chicks and I don’t recall her ever having one die…I think she successfully raised every chick to “adulthood”. 😁 Chickens are more fun than I expected. Watching them peck around and seeing their behavior is relaxing and often funny. The last rooster we had would jump as high as he could to pick blackberries and salmonberries. He’d drop them on the ground for the hens. There was a berry free zone from the ground up about 3 feet all along the back edge of the property. I don’t remember ever seeing him eat the berries himself as he always saw that the hens ate first while clucking and vocalizing about what a stud he is…..until he too was turned into eagle poop. 😫
One of the few Grocery items that I never look at the price of when I buy them every week. I’m sure they’re high like every other fuggin food in the store.
I’m sure Hiden Biden and the DemoRat’s will find a way to blame Putin. Fuggers need to be strung up. 😡
Just now, $3.09 for a dozen Jumbo at Martin’s in Winchester, VA.
While we’re at it. 15% fat ground beef was $5.39 in a 3-pound or so pack. Asparagus was $1.47 with my bonus card.
King Oscar Kipper snacks are up to $2.59, which is concerning….
Oh the horror.
Blame it on the Swedes?
I’ve always thought King Oscar was Norwegian. At any rate, his tasty fish are a product of Poland, at least this batch; close enough to Russia to blame Vlad.
We’re getting about a dozen per day from our hens. I don’t eat store bought eggs as I can’t stand the taste and texture but 8 or 10 eggs, bacon and hash browns along with a big glass of cold raw milk makes for a great dinner. We’ll be getting another 6 chicks soon and then another 6 in the fall….hopefully we’ll have a broody hen to raise them. Our favorite momma hen that raised several clutches for us over the years just succumbed to eagle predation. We’re hoping another hen steps up as a surrogate because it sure makes it easier.
I had a hen go broody last year. She hatched out two and carefully raised them up.
It's amazing to watch a mother hen take care of her chicks.
I agree on the taste of store bought. Even the ones marked organic or free range stink.
I've been keeping free range laying hens since 2010. My immediate neighbors get free eggs.
It is incredible to watch the natural instincts of a broody hen take over. Our favorite momma hen, Mrs. Doubtfire, raised 5 or 6 broods. The first time we did it she was broody and one night while she was sleeping in her nesting box (because she was broody) my wife put 12 chicks under her. Imagine waking up one morning and finding 12 babies that you’re forced to raise? 😂 She was a wonderful mother and she had the “respect” of the rest of the flock so none of them were ever mean to the chicks. Mrs. Doubtfire raised somewhere around 40 chicks and I don’t recall her ever having one die…I think she successfully raised every chick to “adulthood”. 😁 Chickens are more fun than I expected. Watching them peck around and seeing their behavior is relaxing and often funny. The last rooster we had would jump as high as he could to pick blackberries and salmonberries. He’d drop them on the ground for the hens. There was a berry free zone from the ground up about 3 feet all along the back edge of the property. I don’t remember ever seeing him eat the berries himself as he always saw that the hens ate first while clucking and vocalizing about what a stud he is…..until he too was turned into eagle poop. 😫
Yeah, rooster behavior with hens is amazing to watch, too. Just like you say, they will literally provide food for the hens, and let them eat while they go hungry. Many are extremely brave (and often effective) in attacking a predator that's after a hen, too.
Just now, $3.09 for a dozen Jumbo at Martin’s in Winchester, VA.
While we’re at it. 15% fat ground beef was $5.39 in a 3-pound or so pack. Asparagus was $1.47 with my bonus card.
King Oscar Kipper snacks are up to $2.59, which is concerning….
Oh the horror.
Blame it on the Swedes?
I’ve always thought King Oscar was Norwegian. At any rate, his tasty fish are a product of Poland, at least this batch; close enough to Russia to blame Vlad.
Sweden, Norway, Denmark. Them Skandahoovians all look the same to me. Speak funny too.
And yeah, production switched to Poland awhile back, sometime after Poland became "free" again I think.
I wouldn't be surprised if the mass kill off of chickens is unnecessary, and orchestrated to raise egg prices. What would be wrong with letting a virus run through a flock? Certainly a percentage of them would get through it and pass their immunity on to the next generation. Instead they just kill them all.
Eggs are $2. dozen at the closest neighbor. Free range eggs are a completely different taste than store bought as mentioned here repeatedly. I just can't stand store bought after eating free range eggs for twenty years.
It is tough to keep chickens alive here with all the predators around. I have watched coordinated attacks by fox in mid-day at the neighbor's farm, really something to see the smarts of these fox.
We have thought about raising our own, but it is just not worth the effort at $2 a doz. I don't know what all our dogs would do with chickens running around. The dogs get a wild turkey once in a while so probably would not be good.
Usually we had so many eggs we couldnt eat or give enough away. Mrs slumlord bitches about 20+ dozen eggs in the fridge and chickens crapping on the sidewalk scratching out potting soil in our patio plants.
Try give away those nice big country eggs. People at church and work be like “Ewwwwwewwwwwwww, the eggs...they’re brown...why are they brown....ewwwwwww, never mind I’ll pass”
Usually we had so many eggs we couldnt eat or give enough away. Mrs slumlord bitches about 20+ dozen eggs in the fridge and chickens crapping on the sidewalk scratching out potting soil in our patio plants.
Around here, the culprit has been the 'bird flu' affecting large turkey and chicken operations in MN and WI... What are they in your areas??
Prices here haven't changed.
USDA put out a press release yesterday (?) about that avian flu outbreak. Seem like it's really virulent. It has shown up in a few wild populations in the upper Midwest, too.
I love eggs. I love farm fresh eggs. Fresh eggs make better cakes. They make much better omelets. When Boiled, they do not peel smoothly, like the computer eggs in Wal Mart. Overall, I much prefer farm fresh eggs.
The USDA calls it “depopulating”, but it’s just little napoleons running around getting off on telling farmers they have to kill all the animals. I’d rather deal with the USEPA than the USDA..... They are miserable, incompetent, nasty people.
Maybe one day I’ll tell y’all how I really feel....
I eat 6 eggs when I eat breakfast, generally only two days a week. Love them scrambled, omelettes, hard fried, pickled, just about any way you can think of. But I’ll be danged if I can taste one bit of difference between store eggs and “farm” eggs.
Oh and ours have went up $1 per dozen in the last month.
People at my wife’s work are paying her $5+ per dozen before the craziness but now they’ll still pay the same. 😁. She doesn’t want to take the money from most of them so she gives them away often. Last week she said one guy left a $50 bill and told her just bring him a dozen until he owes more.
Usually we had so many eggs we couldnt eat or give enough away. Mrs slumlord bitches about 20+ dozen eggs in the fridge and chickens crapping on the sidewalk scratching out potting soil in our patio plants.
I eat 6 eggs when I eat breakfast, generally only two days a week. Love them scrambled, omelettes, hard fried, pickled, just about any way you can think of. But I’ll be danged if I can taste one bit of difference between store eggs and “farm” eggs.
Oh and ours have went up $1 per dozen in the last month.
Huge difference. Not even close. The difference is in the diet and lifestyle of the hens. A wild diet (bugs, grubs, wild greens, wild berries and seeds, etc.) produces delicious eggs. You can even tell by looking at them cracked into a bowl. Store bought have pitiful pale yellow yolks, while real free range (not store bought "free range") eggs have deeply rich, vibrant yellow, yolks, almost a little orange in tone.
Usually we had so many eggs we couldnt eat or give enough away. Mrs slumlord bitches about 20+ dozen eggs in the fridge and chickens crapping on the sidewalk scratching out potting soil in our patio plants.
There is a farm where we used to get country smoked pork sausage. Pull into the man’s gates and I swear there was no less than 200-300 chickens running buck wild all different directions.
Nothing seemed organized either. Bizarre breeds, feral, banties, leghorns, cross breeds, hens that looked gang-banged, 1/3 of roosters ready to whoop your ass when ya got out of the truck.
There is a farm where we used to get country smoked pork sausage. Pull into the man’s gates and I swear there was no less than 200-300 chickens running buck wild all different directions.
Nothing seemed organized either. Bizarre breeds, feral, banties, leghorns, cross breeds, hens that looked gang-banged, 1/3 of roosters ready to whoop your ass when ya got out of the truck.
I eat 6 eggs when I eat breakfast, generally only two days a week. Love them scrambled, omelettes, hard fried, pickled, just about any way you can think of. But I’ll be danged if I can taste one bit of difference between store eggs and “farm” eggs.
Oh and ours have went up $1 per dozen in the last month.
Huge difference. Not even close. The difference is in the diet and lifestyle of the hens. A wild diet (bugs, grubs, wild greens, wild berries and seeds, etc.) produces delicious eggs. You can even tell by looking at them cracked into a bowl. Store bought have pitiful pale yellow yolks, while real free range (not store bought "free range") eggs have deeply rich, vibrant yellow, yolks, almost a little orange in tone.
Yeah I get it. The yolks are orange when they eat grasshoppers and junebugs. But to me they taste like eggs. I can tell a bigger difference in taste between cooking them in bacon grease or Snowcap lard than from “farm” raised or not.
I eat 6 eggs when I eat breakfast, generally only two days a week. Love them scrambled, omelettes, hard fried, pickled, just about any way you can think of. But I’ll be danged if I can taste one bit of difference between store eggs and “farm” eggs.
Oh and ours have went up $1 per dozen in the last month.
Huge difference. Not even close. The difference is in the diet and lifestyle of the hens. A wild diet (bugs, grubs, wild greens, wild berries and seeds, etc.) produces delicious eggs. You can even tell by looking at them cracked into a bowl. Store bought have pitiful pale yellow yolks, while real free range (not store bought "free range") eggs have deeply rich, vibrant yellow, yolks, almost a little orange in tone.
Yeah I get it. The yolks are orange when they eat grasshoppers and junebugs. But to me they taste like eggs. I can tell a bigger difference in taste between cooking them in bacon grease or Snowcap lard than from “farm” raised or not.
Yeah...there really ain't a whole hell of a lot of difference basically.
We had a weird thing happen to us last week regarding eggs. We live in the country and have a few neighbors, but don't know them really well. Anyway, wife check the mailbox and finds a carton of a dozen farm eggs. No note or explanation. The carton had a label from a small farm about 30 miles away with an expiration date from last summer.
We asked around and called some friends and relatives, but nobody knew anything about it. Weird.
I want to dispel this paranoia associated with “””SHELF LIFE”””
OMG I MUST TOSS THESE GROCERY STORE EGGS, THEY EXPIRE TOMORROW”
JFC JFC JFC
we uses to keep both farm eggs and city/store eggs for 3,4,6 months. Who gives a sheeeyott?
If youre gulping raw eggs like Lardass Hogan then maybe, but he was intent on barfing anyway.
Expiration dates: FAKE NEWS
Also, as long you dont wash that cloaca butt lube off of Lucy The Rhode Island Red’s eggs, they can stay in the henhouse on a 90 degree afternoons till ya get back from the beach trip or out on the counter for a few days too.
There is a farm where we used to get country smoked pork sausage. Pull into the man’s gates and I swear there was no less than 200-300 chickens running buck wild all different directions.
Nothing seemed organized either. Bizarre breeds, feral, banties, leghorns, cross breeds, hens that looked gang-banged, 1/3 of roosters ready to whoop your ass when ya got out of the truck.
There is a farm where we used to get country smoked pork sausage. Pull into the man’s gates and I swear there was no less than 200-300 chickens running buck wild all different directions.
Nothing seemed organized either. Bizarre breeds, feral, banties, leghorns, cross breeds, hens that looked gang-banged, 1/3 of roosters ready to whoop your ass when ya got out of the truck.
Sheesh
Dorf got what it was asking for
Although I have never encountered an aggressive Muscovy Duck. Had several show up after an epic flood once ripped through our horse farm. They were humble and gentle. They stayed several years. Guess we fed better. Plus we had horse shît to sift through. Mmmm, mmmmpp!!!
Raising my barter price to that this season, feed has gone up quite a bit.
Yep, for sure.
Friends & family $0 - $4, work acquaintances $5 !
What are these " work acquaintances " you speak of?
I retired, good lort almost five years ago now, and I no longer know those kind of folks.
Oh, I had a dozen with me when I went to town last night, ran into a friend who has gotten some for me in the past. Asked if he wanted some eggs, sure was the answer. I asked if he had $4, he said nope. I told him if he didn't have $4 in his pocket maybe he needed the eggs more than I needed the $4 so I just gave them to him. Work is sometimes hard to come by out here in the sticks.
Raising my barter price to that this season, feed has gone up quite a bit.
Yep, for sure.
Friends & family $0 - $4, work acquaintances $5 !
Yeah, we'll probably be raising our prices on eggs and honey this year. Local stores are selling "local" honey for $5-$10 more a quart than what we are selling for right now.
Raising my barter price to that this season, feed has gone up quite a bit.
Yep, for sure.
Friends & family $0 - $4, work acquaintances $5 !
Yeah, we'll probably be raising our prices on eggs and honey this year. Local stores are selling "local" honey for $5-$10 more a quart than what we are selling for right now.
BTW, we have friends and family rates too.
Local feed store has honey from these parts for $20.99 a Mason Jar now.
Raising my barter price to that this season, feed has gone up quite a bit.
Yep, for sure.
Friends & family $0 - $4, work acquaintances $5 !
Yeah, we'll probably be raising our prices on eggs and honey this year. Local stores are selling "local" honey for $5-$10 more a quart than what we are selling for right now.
BTW, we have friends and family rates too.
Local feed store has honey from these parts for $20.99 a Mason Jar now.
We get $20/quart picked up here at the farm, and we sell every drop we can squeeze out of the bees. We also sell to 4 different retail outlets who mark the honey up a few bucks, and it flies off their shelves.
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