Rachel Hurd Anger “My girls aren’t producing the quality of eggs that I’m used to. Some shells are rough, and they’ve reduced in size, but that’s primarily from my brown egg layers. My Rhode Island Red girls are young, but even some of their eggs have become smaller. My Dominique girls are a bit […]
Rachel Hurd Anger If you have a small flock, you know immediately when something’s not quite normal. And it sure doesn’t take much to shock you when your hens produce something that looks like it came from a bird you didn’t know you had, though that’s not to say that something is wrong either. Our […]
This one thing is always missing from list articles about why someone should keep chickens: self-sufficiency. If you’ve been reluctant to fill a coop with hens, you’re still buying supermarket eggs, and you’ve noticed you’re shelling out twice the price you were a few months ago, you can thank the bird-flu epidemic. The good […]
Even when we do things right, we must rely on chicken biology for egg production. Consider these things if your flock’s egg production is in decline.
Today, I’m sitting on nine dozen eggs. I wash them after collecting them to store in the refrigerator. This way, they’re ready to go if I get the chance to sell or gift them. Unfortunately, we’re having a problem. One hen’s brown eggs are so delicate that when I wash them, they crumble to pieces […]
How accurate is your knowledge about eggs? Here’s the truth behind several common egg myths.
When I started raising my first flock of chickens, I would sometimes start a conversation with something like, “So sorry I’m late! I had to chase a chicken.” It was always true, of course, but it was a great conversation starter about my favorite hobby. Now that I’m more seasoned, I’ve noticed a pattern when […]
On the counter or in the fridge? This is what you need to know about keeping your chickens’ eggs before it’s time time to eat them.
Our backyard chickens usually produce an inconsistent product. Their eggs vary in shape, size and color, mostly because we collect a variety of breeds based on their coloring, lace, combs, cold hardiness, heat tolerance, egg colors and sizes—whatever tickles our fancy, really. Whether or not we realize it, those of us with many different breeds […]
California’s mandate for larger hen crates means management changes for egg farmers and higher prices for consumers.
