Free Range Eggs

Eggs are an amazing bounty that lasts most of the year. We have a mixed flock which includes Dark Cornish, Barred Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Light Brahmas, Rhode Island Reds and two Guinea Hens. From February to November we gather about 10 eggs per day.

One problem of free ranging layers is that they can lay their eggs wherever they like. A lot of attention must be paid to creating favorable nesting spots for them, where we want them to lay. There are several nest boxes inside the coop which they use most of the time. We have a couple of hens who love to lay their eggs in the barn. They will risk life and limb to dash into the barn during the few moments in the morning when we are letting the horses out into their paddock - dashing around between hooves scrambling to get inside. Our philosophy has mostly been to go with the flow. If we find a spot the chickens like, we enhance that spot so they like it even more, adding copious amounts of hay or shavings to make a soft, secure nest. The trick is to check for eggs often, especially if you have hungry dogs living with you.

In November, we let them molt, which stops their laying for a couple of months. They get a break until February, at which point we put a fluorescent light on in their coop on a 12 hour day/night cycle. Hens won't lay without 12 hours of daylight minimum. We've found that without the light, the number of eggs we get in a year just doesn't justify the cost of feeding them all year.

Layer rations can be expensive. We feed Poulin Layer Pellets to minimize waste and ensure they get enough calcium to produce hard shells. We also feed them a variety of table scraps - anything leftover, except chicken of course.