Got my first eggs today!

[Nrcheek]

I'm so excited about this! I heard my girl I call big mama being loud as I was in my garden, and she wouldn't leave the coop. Well . Turns out she was letting me know she's laying for me now been a long 5 months of raising em!

There's actually two eggs! So apparently someone else laid one earlier

 

[alp]

I so wanted to keep my own hens, rather than buying chickens impregnated with antibiotics .. Nice one! @Nrcheek

Hope your daughter carries on with the life style .. keeping hens and enjoying your own produce and meat...

 

[marlingardener]

Oh there is nothing as good tasting as a fresh farm egg! If your hens are just starting to lay, the yield will pick up soon. You are going to enjoy some great omelettes, breakfast eggs, and deviled eggs (but don't use the freshest ones since they are really hard to peel).
What breed do you have, and where are you? Egg production slows down in the hot months (July and August here in central Texas) but having a large box fan in the coop helps keep the ladies cool.

 

[Nrcheek]

I'm in indiana. Currently I have 6 barred rock hens, and a roo, all free ranging . Will prob get some.more one day.

My fiance won't let me use them for meat lol. They are her pets now . We also have 4 ducks!

 

[alp]

I shouldn't carry on as your fiance might want to kill me. Duck is delicious, suffice to say .. Ooops, I'm out of here! Congratulations..

 

[marlingardener]

I agree with Alp--duck is delicious. We also enjoy a lot of chicken--grilled, chicken parmigiano, chicken salad. . . . .
I must confess the duck and the chicken we eat come from the supermarket. We don't keep ducks, but our hens become geriatric, living long and happy lives. I just couldn't bring myself to eat someone I've known for eight years.

 

[alp]

@marlingardener You have to treat them like a crop.. When you plant tomatoes, you eat them.. I have that kind of mentality. I remember son's primary school teaching assistant who would show children videos of lamb and discuss with the children about how cruel it would be to eat them. She has been very successful as a lot of girls have become vegetarians...

 

[marlingardener]

Alp, I just don't get emotionally attached to tomatoes, but I do to hens. One likes to sit on my foot while I fill the feeder, another gives me the "chicken evil eye" if I try to lift her off her eggs in the nest box, and the others just gather around and serenade me while I fill their water container.
I'm no vegetarian, but I just can't bring myself to "harvest" a hen I've known. Call me a softie . . . .

 

[Beth_B]

That is awesome! Growing up, and then for a while way back when, we had free ranging chickens. Where I live now, I can have (up to three) but the cost of keeping them legally contained, safe, and warm during our harsh winters would result in $10 eggs lol.

I miss having chickens though. I do get all my eggs (and some meat) from a nearby farm that has happy free ranging chickens and turkeys. Only $2.50 a dozen, which is much cheaper than the stupid artisinal organic eggs from the supermarket. And SO much tastier.

 

[Beth_B]

Alp, I just don't get emotionally attached to tomatoes, but I do to hens. One likes to sit on my foot while I fill the feeder, another gives me the "chicken evil eye" if I try to lift her off her eggs in the nest box, and the others just gather around and serenade me while I fill their water container.
I'm no vegetarian, but I just can't bring myself to "harvest" a hen I've known. Call me a softie . . . .

I'd be the same way. We had Rhode Island Reds, which are stroppy and aggressive chickens but lay big brown eggs and have tons of personality so we got attached. And auracanas, which lay really pretty blue-green eggs.

 

[marlingardener]

Beth B, I haven't purchased eggs for over nine years, so I haven't kept current with prices for organically raised, free range, happy chickens' eggs. After reading your post, I was absolute stunned to find the local grocery, here in the heart of rural farming country, had large organic brown eggs at $4.50 a dozen!
I went out to the coop and kissed each and every hen right on her beak! (Not really, even I have some limits)

 

[Beth_B]

Yes indeed! I now buy eggs from a nearby farm ($2.50 if you bring your own cartons, $3.00 if you don't.) They are happy free range chickens, and turkeys too. (Turkey eggs are the same size as chicken eggs and I can't tell a taste difference). I get blue, brown and white eggs and they are delicious and so eggy.

I keep toying with the idea of getting my legal limit of three chickens here.

 

[Gemma]

I'm so excited about this! I heard my girl I call big mama being loud as I was in my garden, and she wouldn't leave the coop. Well . Turns out she was letting me know she's laying for me now been a long 5 months of raising em!

There's actually two eggs! So apparently someone else laid one earlier

I can't wait to see my first egg!
I have 4 pullets...1 Black Australorp, 1black English Orpington, 1 blue English Oprpington (they're sisters), and 1 American Buff Orpington...they are 3 months old