Our next step with the pullets is preparing for the onset of laying~ this means setting up systems to collect, clean, carton, case (box) and cool them (refrigeration)... it also means establishing our sales contracts which will be the means for dispersing the majority of the 90+ dozen our gals will generate. Don't worry, though, we will have eggs for sale by the carton for individual customers as well!
That raises an interesting question about the cost of our eggs... of organic, pastured, free-range eggs raised on a small sustainable farm such as ours. We know that 'yard eggs' are relished by many of the people who come to our community farmers' markets~ fresh eggs from chickens that get to forage are simply far better tasting and better for you, nutritionally and spiritually. The differences among all of us who sell yard eggs Include: diet, housing specifics, range, marketing and of course, price-- all of which reflect the focus of the individuals who raise and sell those eggs. When I think and write or talk about our values, it helps me understand why our approach results in the cost of the eggs we sell (which will run between $4.50 and $5.00 a dozen.... a bunch, isn't it?). Read on as I examine each aspect of egg production and share our orientation and approach... not to convince you to buy ours but to provide education about what's involved in our decisions about how to go about it.
First, food~ some folks feed only 'scratch' (typically cracked corn) and the chickens get this and whatever they find to forage; some feed pellets or 'mash' and some of these use organic feed, most do not; some add house scraps such as peelings from veggies, apple cores, etc.; some feed bread, donut and other 'junk food' type scraps. We feed a full-nutrition ration of organic feed and the hens get this plus whatever greens and bugs they find in their pasture. This is where our major expense comes in~ organic grains simply cost much more and we're providing virtually all of their nutrition through their feed; this may change in years of good pasturage, which this drought as not resulted in.
Housing varies from living in barns to chicken houses to movable coops to making do outdoors-- all sizes and configurations of chicken houses exist.. most of us cobble together good, solid housing from whatever we have available or invent for the purpose. As long as there is adequate protection from predation (not easy to achieve around these parts) and weather extremes, and there's enough room for comfortable living and laying, likely life is pretty good for the birds. When housing is really filthy, as from long-built-up manure, disease or pests can set in, reducing the quality of life for the chickens and maybe the production rate as well. Our layer house is a 10' x 20' portable garage thing built onto a base made of 4" x 4" timbers and reinforced so it doesn't break when we move it. The main difference here is that we do move the house, so that the impact of having a bunch of birds living on the ground gets spread out~ chicken poop as fertilizer is a benefit if it's not too thick; moving on allows the land to regrow using that fertilizer, rather than having to heal from a major hit to the soil, which can take years following years of having chickens in the same spot. Moving chickens off their old poop keeps them healthier.
Then there is the range, the space chickens have to move around and forage in. For some, the chicken yard is tiny and unchanging; for many more, yards are provided that may change or be renewed in ways that keep greens and bugs available when it's seasonal (and some even garden and water to make a rich lawn-pasture in dry years like this one has been-- most of us don't have or choose to use water that way). Some folks allow their chicken to roam all around, like our home flock; this gets pretty nasty if you've got more than a couple dozen, since wherever the chickens roam, poop is deposited. Here, we set up large pastures using solar-powered electric fences that we move the house within until it's 'used', then we move the fence to start a new pasture area. We make sure there's a couple trees in each pasture, for shade and entertainment (never thought a chicken would get bored? oh, they do, and misbehavior ensures when you've got a bunch of bored chickens-- pecking eat other, pecking and scratching the soil to death, destroying property-- yep). Moving the pasture works like moving the house-- better for chicken health and earth health, too.
Marketing really comes into play based on how much of your income needs you plan to/ hope to meet from selling eggs. Most vendors selling eggs at the market do the good service of taking and reusing egg cartons from their customers; as long as the cartons are clean and germ-free, it's a great contribution to reduce trash waste this way and if you know who your eggs come from, you don't need a label to tell you. When you sell eggs in stores, the cartons must be new and the label is your way to tell consumers about your farm and eggs; this increases cost and is necessary for this type of sales. Selling to restaurants requires packing eggs in new flats and boxes but no label. Selling to institutions requires invoicing, delivery and related financial management. We'll sell our eggs to both individuals and institutions and don't yet know if we'll re-use cartons or not; if we have to buy new in any case, storing old ones and making sure they're clean may be much harder than simply using new. We choose cardboard over plastic or styrofoam to minimize negative environmental impact, but we know the benefit of reusing the less environmentally friendly cartons.
So, there are many considerations in choosing your eggs for their good value... only you can decide what that means for you and it is not for me or anyone else to judge your decisions. If you want those eggs because they're tastier and fresh, or because if feels good to eat from happy chickens, the added expense of our eggs won't make sense to you. It's worth it to buy our eggs if you value, in addition, eating organic foods (no chemicals or GMO's and possible a reduction in digestion problems) and/or an approach to raising chickens that is sustainable for the long stretch, balancing the impacts of raising the chickens to benefit soil and bird alike. It's these values that shape our approaches... good taste, happy chickens, sustainable and healthy.
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