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With all the talk of egg prices and chickens, I thought it would be fun to tell you a little about our experience raising chickens and getting eggs right from the backyard!
When we moved in 2016 chickens were one of the first things on the radar once we cleaned up the property, got the lay of the land, and started planning where we wanted everything to go. In 2018 our neighbor decided he was done raising chickens and gifted us his coop and several supplies he would no longer need like feeders, waterers, and a huge collection of old newspapers he used for bedding.
After a new paint job, we purchased a half-dozen laying hens from a local hardware store.
That first year was great! We got used to having and caring for the birds and we got eggs all year long! But the next Fall/Winter we noticed that the birds started looking a little rough. All of a sudden they were losing feathers and egg production plummeted.
After a little research, we learned that they were actually molting. Losing their old feathers and growing new ones. Since this takes so much energy they often lay fewer eggs. We also learned that a hen’s first year of life is the height of her egg production. As the hen gets older she will lay fewer and fewer eggs. The amount of daylight you see also affects egg production. So you’ll often get more eggs in the Spring and Summer than in the Fall and Winter. There are ways to try and increase egg production during the slower months such as adding a light to the coop and possibly feeding them an extra source of protein. At this time we have decided to just let nature run its course.
Over the years we’ve also lost a few birds too. Sometimes we know what killed them (ahem, Trinity got loose and cornered one), or after some research we come to realize it may have been egg bound, sometimes you just find a dead chicken in the coop and don’t know why. As sad, irritating, and somewhat scary as that is it’s just a way of life on the homestead.
We’re on our second batch of layers and planning to get our third this year. We have our birds on a three-year-ish cycle. Once the birds are about three years old we’ll get another set of chicks. Once the chicks are old enough to start laying we’ll butcher the current layers and use them for soup & eventually broth. Doing it this way guarantees that we aren’t without eggs.
Chickens are like any animal and have traits and personalities. Some breeds are known to be docile and others aren’t nice to either humans or their feathery counterparts. We actually have a couple that will come up to be pet or held. We also have one, Nanastein, who is downright mean to everyone!
We make an effort to choose birds that are dual-purpose. Meaning that they are good egg layers and good for meat. Living in Ohio we also try to get birds that are either bred specifically for the Ohio climate or cold and/or heat tolerant. So far we’ve only bought them at a farm store. For this next batch, Dad’s been looking at a couple of different places online. Eventually, once we get more land we’d love to hatch our own but for now, this works just fine.
The cost of raising chickens and having fresh eggs varies greatly. It depends on how many eggs you use, the type of feed you use, and how old your birds are. Whether you have an existing coop or choose to invest in a coop for the first time. The economy also plays a factor. Sometimes when eggs are cheaper and we’re getting so few a day it’s actually more expensive to have chickens. It’s also worth noting that once you have farm animals traveling becomes more difficult. We go out twice a day EVERY DAY to check on the birds. Let them in or out of the coop, feed, and water them, and collect eggs. Depending on the weather it can be up to four times a day especially if it’s really hot or cold. The nesting boxes need to be cleaned regularly as well. Trust me, chickens are NASTY creatures.
Currently, we’re getting about 4-6 eggs per day. However back around Christmas when it was frigid and the days were shorter and cloudy we were getting 1-3 eggs a day. However, we know how the birds are being raised and what they are eating. Often times we’ll give them access to fresh grass and veggie scraps in addition to their food & if we get a cracked egg or two from the coop we’ll bring it inside scramble it up (shell and all) and feed it to the birds. As disturbing as that sounds it’s actually a good source of protein for the birds, especially in the Winter when they need more calories to keep them warm. It saves us from throwing the egg away and gives them some more natural food.
And those times of the year we are drowning in eggs we preserve as many as we can. While there are various ways to preserve eggs our favorites are either freeze-drying them for long-term storage or egg glassing them. Bradley became interested in freeze drying and bought a home freeze dryer from Harvest Right a year or so back. I, as usual, was skeptical but we do use it quite frequently. Preserving fresh scrambled eggs, leftovers, or fruit for a quick and easy snack.
Water Glassing is an old-fashioned way of preserving clean, fresh eggs in a lime and water mixture for storage. We found the information on how to egg glass eggs on The Homesteading Family’s website–Article Here. We just use a few food-grade 5-gallon buckets & store them in the basement until we need them. Then we’ll take a bowl down and bring up as many eggs as we need.
Especially when we have a lot of eggs in the Summer we’ll use them in various meals. Here are some of our favorite ways to use eggs. We’ll make a quiche, have a big farmhouse breakfast, or have rice with an over-easy egg on top. And if I’m being honest, we don’t even need to be drowning in eggs to make these dishes. They’re the ones that we use all year long!
If you’re interested in possibly getting chickens I’d recommend getting “The Chicken Encylopedia”, it’s one of our most used resources.
We’re not experts by any means. We had never owned chickens prior to 2018. But it is something that you can do. People have often remarked that chickens are the gateway homestead animal. Once you get chickens your eyes will be open to how many other animals there are and what they are capable of providing your family and homestead. We’re already talking about honey bees and goats! I hope that if you’re on the fence about it this post helps you make the right decision for where you are right now.
Until next time,
Bailey Sue
Very interesting…. Thanks for sharing this interesting post.!