O dippy egg, you are my favorite.. I like eggs in so many ways but I truly adore a good dippy egg fried up in home rendered duck or beef or pork fat, the edges crisp, the white set and the yolk, golden an runny.. I keep a great winter color to my hens eggs because they have daily access to a bit of hay to peek at.

But with spring comes better weather, more sun and a new purpose to my hen house.. its time to move the birds to a breeding program, different birds are in different programs, we are down to three chicken breeding programs on the farm, the Icelandic chicken (j line) breeding pair, small, outstanding layers of med whitish eggs

Salmon Faverolles, med-heavy birds that lay large eggs on the pinkish side and then my mixed breeds, med-heavy layers, they are a mix of green-brown egg layers with good size to them.

each breeding program is a touch different, one is layer only, one is purebred with the goal of heavy layers with good meat sizing and the other is all about the grow rate and meat..

What they all have in common at the moment, top line feeding of the birds, health checks, multiply egg collection checks, fresh bedding touch up all the time, because you need the cleanest eggs possible, daily records out of the pens, egg checks and egg culling, twice daily turning while waiting at room temp.

Yesterday the temps went up above zero during the day, it was plus one with sunshine and the birds were all out in their outside pens, soaking in the sun, breeding like mad and they are starting to lay.. 9 eggs out of 12 hens yesterday..

So this week, we will start collecting, not sure I will make my 48 eggs in 7 days but it will be close and I can always fill the extra space with a friends eggs if needed.. Keep you posted 🙂

The Turkey, duck and geese have all been moved to the higher breeding-laying-setting rations, from their overwinter lower protein rations and feeding programs