Image Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Our egg production isn’t consistent. Most of the time it’s because we have our chickens free ranging and they have decided to lay their prizes somewhere else. It would be sad to believe that my feathered friends have outwitted me, which on occasion, they have. But I must come out smarter since I do have opposable thumbs which indicates my species has evolved. The best way I have worked to capture all the eggs is to not let them out until after 1pm. I have found my hens lay before that time, so they are under house arrest until they pay up with the brown hued eggs. Sometimes there will be one that is very wily and has found an escape route from the top of the coop and she’s out eating and mocking her sisters locked inside. Fix the hole, fix the escapee. The only other times we aren’t getting as many eggs is during the wintertime, when there are less daylight hours and when they molt, which this year was the first time we had that happen.
Molting for chickens helps them get a new set of feathers for the upcoming colder months although molting can happen at anytime of the year. Because creating new feathers, which are made up of 85% protein, takes a lot out of their bodies, the chickens, both hens and roosters loose production in their fertility during that process. You can help a chicken boost its protein in many ways.
Most people would think chickens are vegetarian. They are not. They are omnivores and love to eat worms, crickets, frogs and snakes along with seed, grass and weeds. I’ve caught my hens playing keep away with a baby snake in their beaks! While I wouldn’t recommend hunting down little reptiles for the chickens, you can provide meat scraps of beef, lamb or pork along with organ meat. All types of fish, shellfish included, can be provided in this stressful time. And it is stressful for them, so if they mingle with dogs like mine do, try to keep the chasing toned down or eliminated. Mealworms are good but expensive and from some research I’ve looked into, it appears that it may be illegal to feed mealworms to chickens in the UK. If you are across the pond, you may want to check into that before buying that expensive bag of treats.
Some hen keepers have opted to add a light to their coop to help the chickens continue their egg laying. I haven’t done that, and I don’t think I would for two reasons. One, I think its unfair to their natural body cycle to trick them into producing an egg. And two, other than using a large array of solar powered lights, I don’t want to run electric into my coop just for eggs. I do have electric for my chick brooder, that sits in my coop to keep the heat lamp on. That lamp is necessary for the new chicks to thrive and grow. They’ll keep the heat until they have feathered out, which takes about 10 weeks at the earliest.
One of the easiest sources of protein that I like to supplement my chickens with especially in the winter months, is extra eggs they have lain. I either fry them up or hard boil them, chop up the eggs and grind the eggshells and serve it to them along with a small dash of turmeric and garlic powder which has been purported to be good for their health. Now, let me clarify that this is not an everyday thing. This is as an additional source of protein to help them out during trying times.
When its cold and they won’t get much of a chance to free range because of snow or freezing rain, I have made suet cakes from my leftover kitchen grease and added seeds, oatmeal and a tiny bit of peanut butter. I press it into a small Rubbermaid container and freeze it in my freezer first before taking it outside to place in their run. Its tasty, or so it appears because there’s never any leftover, and the cold weather keeps it in its form. Also, it’s a fun distraction because what you don’t want to have is bored birds.
When my hens are being champion egg layers and let me add that I have no blue ribbons to prove that, I have given away my unused eggs first to family and friends. I don’t sell them, because I don’t have any kind of USDA certification to do that and I stress with the thought of someone bringing the law down on me. I know that there are farmers around here that sell theirs directly or take them to feed store to trade in. I’m not at that production level. After family and friends, the next recipients of extra eggs would by the pigs we are raising. Again, this is for upping the pig’s protein and to create bacon! Those are hard boiled and served shell and all to the hogs. And last, occasionally, when I have forgotten the buy dog food for my little pupsters, I make them poached eggs, one each. My outdoor hard-working dogs do not get eggs. They do get prime bones from steaks and ribs several times a week.
When I’ve gone to pick up the eggs from the laying boxes, I gently wipe them if dirty, which doesn’t happen too often. Continuously dirty eggshells are a sign your chickens are not well as their vent where the eggs come out of is surrounded with dirty feathers from bad poop. Get them wormed or keep up with the garlic, ACV or whatever all natural de wormer you are giving them and get them back to healthy. No one wants poopy eggs.
Back inside with the days eggs I use a colored pencil and I write the date on it to track when it was produced. That way I know which eggs to use first when cooking. I have made mayonnaise one time. It took too long for my taste and didn’t form until I ditched the processor and whipped the egg and oil mixture by hand. It did taste delicious but was not worth the time it took to make.
These are some of my wintertime egg and hen strategies that I’ve used these last few years since I’ve left the city to come to the farm. Let me know what you do differently or if you have any questions. I’ll write about chickens again as we get ready to order our new chicks next month.
