But then I snap out of it and remember that it's December which means our ladies cut way back in their laying. As in one egg in three days. It's really depressing when you're used to a dozen a day.
Here are our top 3 reasons why I'm egg-longing:
1) Shorter days (day light) leads to less laying. We try to combat this by putting a light (on a timer) in the hen house to extend their "days". It's not very effective this year but in years past it helped a lot.
2) Many of our hens are aging out and our couple pullets aren't yet laying. While Jamey thinks we should stop feeding the older hens (and turn them into soup) I can't quite condone it. They're not my pets or anything, but when I stop producing eggs, I don't want someone to put me upside down in a cone and...well, you know.
3) Skunks and opossums have started frequenting our hen house and eating their feed and eggs. Shame on them. So far the Havahart Trap
has caught several opossums which Jamey has taken for a drive, but one of these days, he's going to trap a skunk and then what?Lack of water can also slow up egg production, so make sure to provide plenty of beverage for your hens.
This shortage has lead to...I can hardly say it...buying eggs at the store. This just makes me sad- not because it's bad to buy them at the store but because fresh, (real) free-range eggs are truly wonderful. And I miss them. Pin It
I feel your pain. We buy local farm fresh eggs and when our supplier said they couldn't provide them anymore, our kids all proclaimed they'd rather do without than have to eat store bought eggs! I wouldn't notice the difference in baked goods but in plain eggs (scrambled, fried, etc)there is a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, I can't wait to order your cookbook. It might not be until after Christmas but I WILL get it! Vicki
I guess even hens need a vaca, but sure do miss those eggs in the off season.
ReplyDeleteEnjoying the cookbook very much! So glad you did it!
I say yes and Amen, My girls are tired and just are taking their much deserved time off he-he
ReplyDeleteI also have had to buy store eggs, May you have a lovely Christmas!
Blessings, Roxy
Ours are slowing down too. We're still getting about 10 eggs a day though, from our 24 hens. But they're young: 21 of them are nearing 2 years old and the other 3 are newly laying pullets. How many chickens do you have?
ReplyDeleteAt this point, we have right around 20. It's funny...we bought a new batch of layer chicks in the spring and sold them when one of our hens hatched out 6. All but one of her 6 turned out to be roosters. This is clearly part of our problem:-). We're not keeping the roosters and will just have to wait until spring to add new layers to the flock. Oh, the ups and downs of chicken-life:-).
DeleteA friend who has hens told me that she feeds her hens some dried pepper flakes when they slow down laying. It may help yours lay a few more eggs, but I wouldn't expect the same volume as spring and summer. It must be a nutrient they need that is lacking in their diet with the onset of fall/winter. Her hens are grain fed but also free range.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
I recently had a conversation with a customer who is an egg farmer for a living and he uses light, lots of yummy feed and clean water to get the most eggs for the longest time out of his hens. He was a gem to speak with and I enjoyed our conversation. I have 4 hens and a rooster. Two of my hens are about a year and a half old and they were attacked by a dog last summer and both were wounded and required surgery. One has never produced an egg since and the other is very sporadic. My last 2 hens are 8 months old and huge and I have yet to see an egg. I have 25 chicks coming in January from the hatchery, we live in a warm climate so any time is a good time for chicks! I hope to have plenty of eggs come July! Holly
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your predicament! Our girls had really slowed down...I broke down and got some store eggs. We just got our hens perked back up...light in the coop, pullets started laying...eggs were starting to fly right out of our girls! And then, yesterday, disaster struck! A stray dog came by and killed 20 of our 21 girls....what a shock, a shame and a waste! We've got one girl left who's in shock right now.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I am so very sorry. That's just awful:-(.
DeleteI'm down to about a dozen a week from over 30 hens but some are older, some are just starting to lay and some aren't quite old enough to lay yet. I've went 2 months without eggs if I can't find them local because store eggs just sit there. We don't use them. We haven't started using a light yet and I'm not sure if we will this year.
ReplyDeleteI was telling my best friend about this post and asked worriedly if she would have eggs for me on Sunday - and she is still swimming in eggs! She has Barred Rocks and is having such a good spell with them. Chickens fascinate me. I hope sometime our city relaxes its zoning and we get some for our backyard.
ReplyDeleteI can offer you a suggestion for trapping your critters. Place the trap in a black plastic bag that will cover the whole trap. If you trap a skunk you can close the bag and keep the stink with the animal.
ReplyDeleteThese things I know as I was a professional animal trapper. : )
Good Luck!!
Try giving your girls warm water if your weather is cold.
ReplyDelete