We Suddenly Have Layers

11 years ago

Last week a friends asked if I would be interested in some free laying hens and I said yes and now we are the proud owners of 18 golden comets who in their first 24 hours have laid 14 eggs, and counting.

I am surprised they are laying so well after being taken from a coop to the great out doors but they haven't missed a step.

I know we will need to get at least 50 more to even begin to fill orders but it is nice to have hens again, it's been at least 10 years

Once the hens go on organic feed the eggs will go for $4 or $4.50 a dozen but until than Will sell 'em to my CSA members for $3.00

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Comments (12)

myfamilysfarm
11 years ago
Congrats, they are beautiful birds. I'm glad they're so happy. Around here, DIL could only get $2/doz, after spending $25 for the state and another $20 for the county. We didn't eat enough eggs for the hassle of her keeping them, so she gave them away. Hers were several old-fashioned breeds.

It's hard to get used to store eggs, just no color to them.
brookw_gw
11 years ago
Awesome. I have always wanted chickens, but I'm afraid they wouldn't last a week w/all our predators. We have friends with chickens, so we'll just let them supply us for now. Marla's right though about the taste and color.

Funny story: my wife has a friend (she calls her a citiot) who learned from her farmers market about the orifice from which eggs come. Therefore, she quit buying her eggs there and only buys from stores now. I guess those eggs arise from the styrofoam. Just goes to show you people's strange mentality and how removed some have become from their food sources.
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rustico_2009
11 years ago
Congrats on the chickens. Mine are laying less per bird further south. Organic feed is 30-33 per bag depending on quantity. I get $6.00 a dozen for large and don't know if over the life of the hens will make anything! They are nice to have around.
myfamilysfarm
11 years ago
They are great bug destroyers, you need to give them that at least.
rustico_2009
11 years ago
Congrats on the chickens. Mine are laying less per bird further south. Organic feed is 30-33 per bag depending on quantity. I get $6.00 a dozen for large and don't know if over the life of the hens will make anything! They are nice to have around.
rustico_2009
11 years ago
Sorry about the double post, I didn't see it, repost and then there are two!
boulderbelt
Original Author
11 years ago
Certified organic feed is under $30 for a 50 pound bag around here and I don't expect to make a lot of money on eggs but I do expect to do better than break even and we will also get better fertility and they will take care of some bug and weed issues as well as what to do with all the not sellable greens, tomatoes, pears, melons, squash, etc..

In the 4 days we have had them they have laid well every day, have learned that wings are for flying, greens are for eating and grasshoppers are worth fighting over and how to scratch away a compost pile and dust bathe.

My DH is working on a mobile coop for them and until that is done (probably tomorrow) they are stuck in a meat bird tractor that has a board on bricks for a roost and some nesting boxes made from plastic kitty litter containers. And they are adapting well and enjoying their new life as pastured poultry
rustico_2009
11 years ago
It sounds like you will have a good time with the chickens. The fertility is great. I guess I collect about half of it in the deep little coop and lose what's in the run. Still it's a lot! I wish I could rotate them into the growing areas with a chicken tractor, but with the slopes and terraces it doesn't seem practical....plus there are 100 of them....don't want to get them used to flying over there to eat vegetables at will.

I am concerned that too much produce is/was causing thin eggshells....not sure yet but I have backed off nonetheless. Do you ever see that problem? Mustard grows wild here(if it ever rains) and I like to give them that, because it makes the eggs really yellow and yummy, have never seen any thin eggs with that.
myfamilysfarm
11 years ago
We fed our extra produce to our chickens, along with regular chicken feed, no problems with thin shells. The previous bunch of chickens, during the warmer months, only received produce and the scratching/bugs they could find. Still no thin shells.

Marigolds are supposed to give the eggs bright orange yolks. Never tried it, since my mother is allergic to marigolds.
rustico_2009
11 years ago
Interesting, Marla,
Mine were also eating the eggs, as mentioned in another thread, so that could have been the main cause. Right now the shells are fine.
myfamilysfarm
11 years ago
We haven't had any problems with the chickens eating eggs, so I can't help on that. Maybe by the time the shell hardening element 'went thru' the 2nd time, it was inadequate.
boulderbelt
Original Author
11 years ago
When I get thin shells I feed oyster shell to up the calcium. generally my pastured birds have rarely had problems with soft shells, though these birds do have that problem and I think it is due to poor feed and being indoors 24/7 until we got them. Feeding produce, especially leafy greens should help to add calcium to the shells as leafy greens are quite high in Ca