Something about Chickens
It seems everyone is talking about eggs and chickens. Whats all the fuss? Chickens and their eggs have always been important to us, long before this current egg shortage crisis. Here’s our story from egg to egg.
It takes a total of 6 months from fertile egg to a full grown hen ready to lay. Eggs can be hatched by a broody hen, or in an incubator. Either way, it takes about 21 days. A lot can go wrong during those 3 weeks… sometimes the hen gets tired of “setting”, and gets off the nest, if the eggs get cold the chicks will not survive, or a predator gets her. The incubator over heats, runs out of water, the power goes off for a few hours… There are a lot of variables. Usually only a small percentage of our hens were hatched here. The most reliable way to get a flock of chickens is from a commercial hatchery. Reading the catalogs is great entertainment, like all marketing material they all sound lovely, productive and docile. I have been pecked and chased many times, but never read any warning about those white hens. There should be a Red letter warning ” Never reach under a white hen sitting in the nest box, unless you are wearing gloves”!
Chicks are packed up at the hatchery on the day they hatch, and sent through the US Mail, arriving at the Williamsburg post office in about 3 or 4 days. Like all babies they need lots of attention and care, they are delicate. A brooder coop has heat, lights, a secure room to keep chicks in and predators out, special food, and vitamin water. For 6 months this young flock is cared for twice a day with food and water, their pen is cleaned, and fresh sawdust put down. They are kept inside a fenced yard. Gradually they learn to forage for insects and tasty plants, and hopefully learn to run inside when the shadow of the red tail hawk passes overhead.
An egg is an egg, Right? Or is it?? Most of the egg layers in this country are raised in confinement houses. Living their entire life indoors in a controlled environment. There is no natural light, or space requirement for birds living in “Cage Free” housing. Large commercial houses contain up to 350,000 hens, a single farm may have 10 of these houses. You can understand how an egg shortage happened after 3 or 4 flocks were destroyed when Avian Flu was detected. Friends Farm Market sells eggs from chickens raised right here. You can see them any time you come to the farm. Everyday they go outside and peck for bugs, plants, or just walk around. Every night at dusk we close them inside their coops, if we forget to close them up there is a good chance a few will be missing the next morning, that’s never pretty. None of our animals are “ Free Range” ; we raise produce here, chickens can destroy 100 heads of lettuce or a tomato patch in just a few minutes, and animals loose in the same space as food intended for humans is unsafe, and illegal. Think about all those recalls of spinach and romaine, most of that is due to being in close proximity to beef feed lots. Food safety is on our mind every day, nothing is more important to us.
What about the price??? Here’s the quick answer. Chicks cost $ 6.75 each, Shavings , vitamins, heat lights $25, a chicken eats 100# of feed a year that’s $36, add egg boxes, labels, insurance, plus something for the farmer. Remember it takes 6 months of care and expenses to get the first egg, Rita kept careful records in 2024. She sold about 15 dozen a week all year. At the end of the year her total profit was $3.50 for the entire year!! Her daughter who cared for the chickens every day, summer and winter was not paid. If this farm is to continue to the next generation the ones who will carry on must see a viable future . The food choices we make everyday are powerful and important! Where we spend our food dollars makes a difference. Small farms can be a source of community food security, and a place for families to connect with nature and learn how food is produced. Just spending a small percent of your food budget on locally produced food can make an impact for those farm families and yours. WE thank you.
