07/28/2025
When we first got chickens, it was to be a fun project. The first dozen chickens, all of sudden turned into 27 and two days later that turned into 42.
Then came another 18.
Then came another 3
Then another 9
It's called "Chicken Math".
We lost a couple along the way and it's all part of the process. Young chicks shipped in from the hatchery sometime don't do well over the first few days.
Right now we are somewhere around 70 birds, give or take.
We use to count them every night to make sure they were all accounted for, but now with multiple coops, timed doors, free range areas, they all seem to come and go as they please.
The four roosters set the pace and things just seem to happen naturally.
We have another 10-15 being born this week, and my hunch is that before fall, we should be around a hundred laying hens give or take a few.
That will be someplace north of 33,000 eggs now projected in the next twelve months. That's 2,700+ dozen eggs.
Our eggs are the highest quality. All organic, non-gmo, amazing hard shells and the perfect brown color and size.
This is not for the fain of heart. With the increased egg prices a over the last year, everyone wants back yard chickens. I wish it were that easy.
I think that before we got our first egg, we easily and $10,000 invested between the coop, nesting boxes, water system and feed.
The actual baby chicks are the cheapest part of the entire process.
What most people do not realize is that you run to Tractor Supply and get a few chicks. Great... You need to realize that from that moment forward you have six to eight months before you see a single egg. Six to eight months of feed, water, cleaning the coop and caring for each and every bird.
Then is the constant monitoring of the flock. Yesterday I got 39 eggs. On Saturday I got 51 eggs. Why the difference? Is everyone doing well?
Learning what keeps a laying hen happy and healthy is all part of the process.
So, when you are offered eggs from a local small business at $4 to $5 a dozen, remember, it's nothing like what you get at Walmart for $2.97 a dozen.
It's FRESH
It's possibly organic, free range and non-gmo
It's LOCAL
These hens are out and about. Not in a cage 24 hours a day pumped full of chemically engineered food designed to produce more eggs.
What do you want going into your body? What do you want your family to eat?
When you support a local farmer, you not only get a MUCH better product, but you support the local economy.