Hello from Anita!
Our schedule seems to revolve around our farm animals! This time of year, we feed horses at four sharp and the free range chickens line up to get in bed promptly at dusk, brazen racoons lurking in the shadows.
Soon, we plan to add a covered wire enclosure, so they will be safe on the days we won’t be home. The other option is an automatic door closer, some folks have gotten their freedom back with this contraption.
I suspect it wouldn’t work for that one reluctant hen who, like me, is always late to the party.
Living in the country, I’ve become more in tune with time and seasons. When the days grow shorter, and the trees loose their leaves, the flock begins to shed their feathers, called molting. They take a vacation from laying, conserving energy and growing new warmer feathers.
Easter time means an abundance of eggs!
I’ve been browsing egg recipes and making quiche, scrambled eggs, and am planning to try a festive flourless chocolate cake that uses 6 eggs!
I’ve gone from finding one or two and tucking them in my pocket, to discovering a surprise dozen in the barn with even more in the hen house.
It’s easy to test the first treasure trove for freshness, by gently dropping them in a large bowl of water. As I suspected, all the eggs were fresh. They laid at the bottom on their sides, a sign that there is no air pocket inside the shell, which will cause an old egg to float.
Store bought eggs have an expiration date on the carton and should be refrigerated and used within 3 to 5 weeks.
Backyard eggs have the advantage of a naturally occurring preservative coating called bloom, that seals out moisture and allows them to be safe at room temperature for a time, even longer when refrigerated.
I always wash this off before use.
Free range home chickens produce vibrant sunny yellow yolks, packed with many times the nutrients found in store bought eggs, like Vitamin A, E, D, B, beta carotene, with less cholesterol and saturated fat.
And why not? Their carefree lifestyle with plenty of grass, delicious bugs and table scraps, plus crumbles, makes for the most contented cluckers.
Just to clear up all the confusion around store bought eggs:
Cage Free: Hens are not in a cage but may not have access to outdoors
Free Range: Hens are cage free with access to at least 2 feet of outdoor access per hen ( thats not much and it probably doesn’t have a bug on it )
Vegetarian Fed: Hens are natural omnivores so a vegetarian diet isn’t necessarily better, they are also kept in cages or pens indoors.
Omega-3 Enriched: These eggs are laid by hens whose diets include omega-3 rich foods such as flaxseeds, algae and fish oil. This results in eggs that are higher in omega-3 fats boosting them up to 100-200 milligrams per egg as opposed to the 30 milligrams found on average.
Organic: Hens are free to roam with access to outdoors and are fed a diet free from pesticides and fertilizers.
Pasture Raised: Not yet a USDA regulated term but if accompanied by a “Certified Humane” or “Animal welfare Approved” stamp means each hen was given 108 sq feet of outdoor space as well as barn space indoors. Since these hens can forage on grass and bugs, their eggs tend to be more nutritious.
100% natural or all-natural: All eggs must meet this criteria
No Added Hormones: Another marketing ploy since hormones are banned
There are benefits to being a caretaker with a backyard flock beyond superior eggs and less snakes, frogs and scorpions. I think I am more grounded by tending them, day in and day out.
Their clucks and coos, the layer’s contented cackle, even an alarmed hen screaming “Attention everyone, the sky is falling!!!” are all part of the sensory experience of keeping a backyard flock.
They are a great first step in building a “self reliant” homestead.
What do you think?
Girls love flowers and chocolates, but what they really want are chickens…
Not getting the Country Chronicles every week, free. already?
Thanks Anita for all the info about eggs and chickens,I didnt know much about the way they are raised...i love your chicken coup its so cute..God Bless You as you have a kind godly heart...lv Sandra
I heard a phrase in Hill Country German years ago, althoughdn't I write down the German words. It translated as "like a chicken ladder," (the ramp which goes up into the henhouse) to describe some situations one finds oneself in.