The hens did not fail me. It is not their fault. I don't get up early to let them out to take advantage of early sun. They don't have water in their cage those few hours. Plus, last night at 4 PM, they were headed to their cage beside the door. Also, they have not been fed enough protein the last few weeks. They have laid faithfully for two years and their prompt, daily, egg-laying days are most likely over. But, I expect they are capable of laying more eggs each day if I can get conditions right for them.
When their hen defense is complete (hopefully, next Monday), they will become more reliable layers once again. When they cease to lay, they will be pets. I will limp by this winter on what they lay. Next year, I will give a broody hen eggs to incubate. It seems they all try to be broody, sitting all day on eggs if I allow them. Hopefully, I will never have to have baby chicks in the house again. But, I will if I must. Actually, I kept them in here too long.
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| Compare the sizes: my hens laid the brown egg This brown egg is one of the smaller eggs my hens lay. It belongs to Fancy. The egg on the right, the white egg came from the carton of Large Eggs.The white egg is a commercial large egg. I always wondered how my eggs compared to store eggs in size. Look at the same eggs in the picture below.  |
Hopefully, when the hen security is set, they will get more than 7 or 8 hours of daylight. I suppose I am lucky to get any eggs at all.
Your turn
Do you have hens who are laying? Have you had a chance to compare your eggs with store-bought eggs? If you are planning on getting hens, see what you have in store? I think that is a drastic difference, don't you?
PracticalP - we considered raising a variety of animals but so far, where we are, there are many great farms just a short distance away and our farmers markets rock! so we really don't feel pressured to get animals just yet. we need to work on the house and the land first.
ReplyDeletehowever, our eggs come from less than 50km away, are huge, often still have feathers stuck on them and have beautiful, big yellow yolks. we have local dairy, beef, pork, etc. and jambaloney adds to our diet with the fresh fish. then there is hunting of deer, moose, rabbit, etc.
so we really don't feel pressured to start raising animals any time too soon. but i love the look of your eggs and am very glad that when the girls stop laying - they will be your pets!
great post!
your friend,
kymber
kymber,
ReplyDeleteHens will be my only animals as long as I live here. Of course, rabbits are nice, silent, contained livestock. However, I don't, won't eat rabbit. I should get a couple of goats as payback for the noisy dogs I can hear on this block, barking for 10 hours at a stretch. I am quite sure there is local beef and pork at the local meat processing plant. But, so far, I have not inquired as to the feeding and medicating of them. Jambaloney could actually take care of all your meat needs. I misread "moose" as "mouse." Yikes, NO!
Sometimes,I manage to get an egg in the bowl and find a feather still stuck, the sure sign of a fresh egg.
Layers are a good livestock start, requiring little except good food and tight security. Watch the roosters! They will attack you, but they sound the alarm for the hens when predators are about.
I meant I manage to get a feather in the bowl where I store eggs, not in the bowl where I am cooking with eggs.
ReplyDeleteI cannot stand the taste or smell of store bought eggs anymore. If we can't buy them from the farms around us, we don't eat them. Luckily we have several sources so rarely do without.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, will have to smell the eggs and compare.
ReplyDeleteI think I will boil the rest of these--deviled eggs and for the gravy for the turkey. I will just have to manage my egg consumption until I get them outdoors again. Everyone with hens at home feed poison, hormones, corn, and antibiotics to their hens. No one with whom I talk has such stringent requirements for chicken feed!