Jake came home with a box of seventy chicks today. This is in addition to the forty he brought home yesterday.
What does a mild mannered family of three need with 110 chickens? I’ve been asking myself that question all morning. I put it to Jake at least eighteen times — “Why? Why? WHY?” — and his only response was a faint but evil gleam in his eye.
The seventy birds from today I can sort of understand because they are meat birds which, once processed, we tend to sell out of in a hurry. But the forty chicks from yesterday are all layers. We have 12 layers already. What are we supposed to do with 52 laying hens? That is 52 eggs per day. Selling 52 eggs per day is a challenge because from where I’m standing the farm fresh egg market is glutted. Everyone and their dog has laying hens. Farmer’s markets burst with them. Finding steady buyers isn’t as easy as it sounds and this is probably the longest you’ve ever thought about the economics of ovum in your entire life.
But these are trifling concerns, according to Jake, mere inconveniences.
My husband has gone chicken mental.
You know what we’re having for dinner tonight, don’t you?
Quiche. Always quiche.
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Maybe that ol’ “green eggs and ham” ditty was a self defense move and not just a funny. I envy you. Here in the big city it’s hard to find fresh eggs from real chickens.
Bwahaha! I ordered more chicks last night even though our 8 pullets for our tiny homestead aren’t even in their new coop yet. It is a sickness – my husband is convinced of that! (And I can’t even eat quiche)
June is wearing cute shoes. You’re trying to raise a shoe maven, aren’t you?
Too bad you’re not more north. Here near Princeton, NJ, our neighbors, with their organic farm stand at the farmer’s market, sell out of their 20 or so dozen a week in about 10 minutes, at $7/dozen, no joking!
SEVEN DOLLARS A DOZEN?!?!?! WOW. Jake and I are in the wrong egg state.
Here in CT, the farmer’s at the market sell organic, free range, eggs for $8.00 a dozen. I spend about $5 a week in food for my 11 hens and 1 rooster.
June look thrilled with all the new chicks! Queen of the chickies!!!
Chickens are addicting. Too bad you don’t live here, I can’t keep up with the demand for my girls’ fresh eggs. Freeze the eggs so you have them when the ladies go into a molt or they take a break in the winter.
MAN I can’t wait til we can have chickens (and rabbits)!
“Always quiche.”
Well, there are always poached and boiled eggs, french toast, and custards and custard pies. I kinda like custard pie. And the Mexican restaurant here makes a flan that is pretty good, too.
You know, all the layers make sense, if Jake starts a snake farm. Or, left to age well, eggs have a traditional role in political commentary.
Whatever. I hope the chickens do garden duty, clearing the garden down to fertilized, turned, bare dirt in preparation for fall or spring plantings.
Luck!
Oh I am very familiar with the offerings you suggest, believe me.
I just learned I can have 2 layers here in the burbs….I am thrilled beyond belief!
looks like you need to gather the ladies and dudes and start an eggs 101 cook book…at least this way those 52 eggs per day will get used up in a hurry with recipe testing!..teach an egg cooking class and charge 10 bucks a class…and if all else fails..just think of all the s.o.b. rednecks you can throw rotten eggs at come halloween.:P
are pickled eggs a southern thing? make a butt load..and pass them off..
I thought it was s.o.b. rednecks who did the egg throwing, although many rednecks wouldn’t do such a thing.
lol! maybe time for role reversal? hehe..sorry thats not nice..but it is funny..
I wonder if a local food bank would be intersted in any excess eggs.
All those laying hens are going to get old someday. Consider raising replacement pullets? Rent-a-flocks? When the pullets don’t sell and start laying, how about homemade mayonnaise!
Stumbled across this today. Thought of you and all your new layers. 15 fancy-egg recipes that don’t seem unnecessarily difficult.
http://tablematters.com/2012/08/18/happiness-is-a-hard-cooked-egg/
Good luck with all those eggs!
Awesome, thanks, Kat.