The egg is a wonderful thing to behold, there is nothing quite like hearing that crackle in the hen house, when your girl loudly annouces that she has layed her egg, and sneaking your hand under her to get a still warm fresh egg, it has got to be one of the top ten treats for farmers.
However all eggs are not created equal and the studies are coming in.. Here is the basics..and here is the link to mother earth for the full report
In the past, we’ve found that eggs from hens raised on pasture, as compared to those commercially raised factory farm eggs, contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
Now we’re looking at vitamin D, which many of us do not get enough of because we don’t spend any time outdoors, and even when we do we use sunscreen that blocks vitamin D production. (More about that here.) Eggs are one of the few food sources of naturally occurring vitamin D, and we wondered if true free-range eggs might be higher in this important vitamin, too. Our latest tests show that pastured eggs have anywhere between 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D as typical supermarket eggs.
Now here is the issue, how do you free pasture your birds without a great deal of loss to Mr. Fox, or Mrs Hawk, or Mr Owl, or Miss Coyote, you get the idea? So that means for me at least there must be a middle ground, I free range my birds when I am outside to keep an eye on them, I have a big outside yard for the girls, and they can get all the fresh air/sunshine they want, they also have two big tree’s in their yard which drop leaves and create a great scratching area for them, I also throw them gardening leftovers like weeds, and will hang scrapes to bring the flies to them, I have also bring them as a flock into the garden allow them to be on bug patrol, They also get to peck and clean up under the rabbit hutches, including good meals of worms. Its the best I can do to have a meet in the middle, they appear to thrive, my eggs are lovely in texture, color, and flavor but with as many things around us in the wild woods, its just not a good idea to give them total freedom all the time. They are much safer in their pens and hen house at night, with access to outside and free range at times.
Breakfast -French Toast with homemade maple syrup
French Toast Recipe
- 4 Thick Sliced Bread
- 2 Pullet Eggs
- 1/4 cup Sheep Milk
- Pinch Nutmeg/Pinch Cinnamon
Slice the bread, Put your eggs, milk and spices into a flat bottom dish, beat together and dip the bread into them, flipping to coat both sides, then place in a seasoned cast iron fry pan, cook till golden on both sides, serve with syrup, or fresh fruit, or pudding or a shifting of iceing sugar over top.
Lunch-Supper Leftovers plus one bun each.
Dinner- Brisket, Mashed, Gravy, Grape compot with a touch of cream.
Snacks-Current in house, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf, Snap Cookies, Poppy Seed Pullaparts.
Drinks: Water-Tea-
Extra’s
Did you know that you can freeze your extra eggs for later use in the year, just beat them up, add a good pinch of salt for eggs that will be used for meat based or eating and a good pinch of sugar for eggs to be used in baking, once beated, pour into ice cube trays and freeze solid, then pop out and store in freezer bag, one cube equals one egg.
Do you keep chickens? What is your favorite Breed? Have you ever kept chickens in your backyard in town or city? Do you free range? and if so how do you keep your birds safe? Do you use a chicken Tractor? Do you use your birds in garden care? Bug Control?
Just another Day on the Farm 
Between the hawks,eagles,coons,possums,foxes, and dogs,the worst predator, we wouldn’t have a chicken left if we free ranged. Ours get to go out in fenced corral when we are working outside,too. I liken it to the kids playing outside and getting exercise and sunshine but they don’t live outdoors! They have a predator-proof house otherwise. We’ve lost half-grown pullets to a dog and layers to a racoons’ midnight rampage. Now have a Pyrenees and she lets nothing by her. A deep bark and all of a sudden a white ghost apears and you know she isn’t happy! She takes her job very seriously. No more deer in the garden/orchard and no smaller critters either…the other day she and our Australian shepard had an armadillo by the head and tail working together….what a sight! DEE
Sounds like you have a great farm dogs, that would have indeed been a site to see. I do understand your point, and I have often wondered how so many folks are able to free range their birds without loss.
Thanks for the tip, I had no idea eggs could be frozen! Jjust goes to prove we’re never too old to learn something new and this is extremely good to know!
Its helpful to be able to freeze them beaten and raw when you have the egg gut in spring/summer to help with the slow down in late winter, the girls really slow down when they molt, I have started trying to make sure my younger girls are raised to pick up the slake but still its a helpful little peice of information for sure.
Although we live in an area with not as much free nature as I would like, we lost lots of pullets to hawks, rats and crows. The crows even steal the eggs from the nests! At the moment we don’t have chickens (but we are preparing our little meadow and small barn for a few). Our last dear chick was murderded by our own cat. Oh, that cat. One day she stood miowing before our door, tiny and underfed. We lovingly took her in -at least cared for her, she can’t stay indoors because of allergic children- she didn’t grow much but turned out to be a fierce predator, who brings rabbits, rats and everything else which she can lay a paw on. And as a bonus had a litter of 5 kittens (which we could luckily give away).
So, when we get our new chickens, we have to keep our cat well fed… We will buy a very common breed of chickens because of all the dangers for them and our purse, but I would like to have an old fashioned, very local, but national famous breed, that is called Barnevelders (I’m living in Barneveld). They are bred in the early 1900 for their ability to give a lot of eggs -for that time. And they are nice to see. But as they are quite expensive now, no Barnevelders for me.
I will have to look up the breed of chickens you are talking about, I know what you mean though, we have a canadian Breed of chicken as well but I just can’t bring myself to pay the prices they are asking for them, they go for about 50 dollars a breeding set (two hens/one rooster) at the local bird sale.
I get old fashion dual purpose brown egg layers, they are hardy and do well, I now have genetics for a mixed flock that is on its sixth generation breed to suit the farm this year, I bring in new blood as well from the hatchery but I really like my “homebred” girls, they would offically be chicken mutts but they are healthy, good layers, good mom’s being being able to go broody and also being very good mothers with their own chicks. I like lots of color in my hens so they can be any color or pattern really.
As for the cat, I have a number of stray barn cats that just found their way to the farm, either on their own or as drive by drop offs and they all get feed well but hunt none the less, I can’t trust them around the chicks or ducklings but thankfully the roosters can be fierce and will give the cats a good whapping if they bother the hens with chicks.
Most folks only want well behaved roosters, I like ones that know their jobs, a) breed the girls an B) is give their life if needed to save the hens and chicks.