Super Chickens?

[Boogity]

We have gone through many changes in our chicken population over the past three years. There was a time when I provided 6 to 8 dozen eggs to our soup kitchen every week. But the stupid government got in the way and now the soup kitchen MUST purchase those sickening white eggs with almost clear yellow yolks. Then we gave lots of eggs to church friends each week. But our area is being polluted with city-folk and many think country eggs are scary (or something). So the farmer's market was not such a great outlet for the eggs either.

Two years ago the coyotes got about 20 or 25 chickens one morning and I never replaced them. So we had only 6 or 8 chickens for a while. I don't know if the coyotes were selective in their slaughter but they seemed to only take the younger chickens that were at prime laying age. Last year we made chicken soup several times. In fact there are still some jars in the pantry.

Anyway, we had no chickens at all last winter. This spring I bought 6 chicks at Tractor Supply. 3 Black Comets and 3 brown something-or-others. They started laying at around 12 to 14 weeks old and they are going crazy with the egg production. Our 6 pullets are producing an average of 8 eggs per day! They free range every day from sunup to sundown and I feed them whatever crumbles or pellets are on sale at the local feed mill. I know the egg production will slow down next year as they get older but 8 eggs a day from 6 chickens is remarkable! We might have to chop a couple heads off this fall as that is too many eggs for us.

 

[cabinchick]

Idea: If the eggs are large enough, you can blow out the yolk and white and make Ukranian Easter Eggs out of them. It's a beautiful, albeit time consuming art. Or sell them to someone who does.
I met another lady in So Cal and she blew out the eggs and then filled them with confetti. Her church youth group loved to throw them when celebrating Easter AND the church paid her to do it!
Wish I had your problem...

 

[BarredBuff]

Dang!!!

 

[BriteChicken]

Wow now I feel much better about maybe slaughtering my 4 before winter sets in and starting over in the spring... They are such trouble makers they just ganged up on one of the girls and half her but is plucked I feel horrible but it just happened one day in between when I left for school and came home, but she's recovering nicely in the quarantine pen.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

If I had that good of layers I wouldn't eat them! I'd sell them or find a way to use or sell more eggs!

 

[freemotion]

I'm not sure how many are in your family but we can easily eat 8 eggs a day between the two of us. Not every day, but with breakfast and some for lunch or supper on occasion, 6-8 eggs go fast. If your hens free range on grass and in the sunshine, the eggs are healthy to eat in quantity. Even more so if you can feed them an organic whole grain diet to supplement the range.

If you can spare the fridge space, start storing the cleanest, unwashed eggs in cartons marked with the collection week date in the back of the fridge. They will keep for about 4 months. Wrap the cartons in plastic if you don't have any of those trifold clear plastic cartons.

There are tons of things you can make with homegrown eggs! Oh, how I wish for more eggs from my stubborn flock! I just cleaned out the hay storage area and found almost 5 dozen old eggs hidden under the pallets....grrrr!!!! A neighbor pointed out another dozen or two hidden in the flower bed. Another hen is hiding hers in the buck box, and while he is in rut, I can't safely go in there to retrieve them daily. Mine a getting a bit too feral!

Do we have a recipe thread for using up eggs? I use 18 in a batch of ice cream that is so healthy and delicious that it can be eaten for breakfast! I make it raw so won't use store bought eggs, only clean home grown eggs.

 

[BeccaOH]

I need those kinds of chickens! I have SEVERAL chickens right now and am only getting 6-8 eggs a day. Many hens are molting while my spring chicks haven't started laying yet. I have all heritage breeds so they do take longer to mature. My experience with the hybrid breeds is that they haven't been very winter hardy.

 

[Boogity]

The first time that I got 8 eggs in one day from the 6 chickens I thought someone was playing a trick on me. I knew it couldn't be DW 'cause she can't get out to the coop (very easily anyway) and we don't have any neighbors within a half mile. So I figured it HAD to be these 6 goofy chicks. We're having a little cooler weather now and today I only got 6 eggs. But that's still very good. In past years I figured we averaged about 5 eggs per week out of each of our chickens.

Another thing about this little family of pullets is that they are so friendly. I know that most back-yard chickens are considered pets and they are treated different than farm raised chickens. Most of our chickens over the years didn't even give us a notice but these 6 that I bought this past spring are under foot all the time. When I'm in the barn working they climb on everything including me. Most of the time I have to brush one or two off the workbench to get to my stuff. I don't mind too much but they upset everything and poop everywhere. They get up in the rafters and knock down 50 year old dust and mouse poop on me all the time. I've never considered chickens as pets but these little ladies are getting to me.

 

[Wifezilla]

I always wanted my ducks to be friendly in case I had to handle them for treatment of a wound, etc.... and for the most part they are. But then once you get em all friendly. you trip over the darn things trying to bring them a water bucket Sounds like you have a similar issue!

 

[Boogity]

Do your ducks talk to you? Constantly?