Y'all don't know how comforting it has been to read that other people have had the drop-dead experience with their own flock. We will, of course, continue to monitor closely to make sure there's not something underlying going on, but I am less frantic about the possibility of bird flu now. I am on-alert and extra-vigilant now, nonetheless.
So, after I dropped eggs off to people yesterday, I fielded TONS of questions about farm-fresh eggs. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE talking chickens to people, but I run the risk of being overzealous (overwhelming) to non-Chicken people who just need basic answers, not a 1-hour dialog on the details. My kids also just roll their eyes when someone asks me a chicken question, like, "Oh, brother. Someone asked a CHICKEN question. Here she goes. We'll be here for a while." With that in mine, I decided to make a question and answer sheet to give to people who buy my eggs. I want y'all to look over it and let me know what you think. If there are any facts that seem questionable or not explained well, please point them out. I tried to make the wording simple enough for a non-Chicken person to understand, while not dumbing it down so much that it is offensive. LOL! I used what seemed like credible Internet sites for the information, as well as The My Pet Chicken Handbook and what I know. The single page has my name and number on it, as well as more-appealing formatting. I couldn't figure out how to just post the word document with my post. It kept saying I'm not allowed.
About Us/Our Chicken Journey
My husband, Travis, and I are native Kansans. We met at K-State and have four children, ages 8-14 (two boys and two girls). Travis has worked in the grain division of a worldwide agricultural company since we graduated from college, and I am a homemaker and home school our four children. We live on 5 acres in north Sedgwick County, between Wichita and Valley Center.
Our family began raising chickens in October 2014 as a 4-H, hobby, and educational project. We started with a flock of 15 chicks that we picked up as day-old chicks at our post office. We converted an old, empty grain silo into the chicken coop, using recycled materials when possible. Our flock now includes around 30 chickens of varying breeds.
How We Love Our Chickens
Our flock’s home is the grain silo-turned-coop beside our house, with a roomy outdoor run attached. We open the pop-door to their run every morning, and allow them to either forage in the run or free-range until dark, when they come back to roost and we close them in the coop for their safety until the next morning. The chickens are allowed free-roam of the coop and run during the day to keep them safe from predators. We only feed our chickens feed designed for chickens, along with kitchen treats that are good for them, like fruits and veggies. Their favorite treats are strawberry tops and popcorn!
Get to Know Your Farm-Fresh Eggs
Are farm-fresh eggs healthier than commercially-produced eggs?
Studies seem to prove that farm-fresh eggs are healthier than commercially-produced eggs! Specifically, farm-fresh eggs were found to have 1/3 less cholesterol, ¼ less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega 3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, and 7 times more beta carotene than commercially-produced eggs.
Why are the yolks of my farm-fresh eggs so dark/orange?
The simple answer to this is that a chicken’s diet determines the color and darkness of its egg’s yolk. The more robust and varied a chicken’s diet, the darker and more orange the yolk color. Chickens allowed to forage on yummy bugs, weeds, and grasses, and who are fed good-for-them veggie and fruit scraps produce darker egg yolks!
Should I refrigerate my eggs?
It’s up to you, but here’s what you need to know. Eggs have a natural protective “bloom” (or invisible covering, if you will) when they are laid. This protective coating seals germs out. This is why the farm fresh eggs you bought from us (and, generally, most farm-fresh eggs) have not been rinsed. Commercially-sold eggs in the U.S., on the other hand, go through a process that removes this coating, which necessitates refrigeration afterward to prevent bacteria from growing. The eggs you are receiving from our farm have been left UNwashed and refrigerated since being gathered from the coop. How you store your eggs after receiving them from our farm is up to you. Just rinse and use!
How long will my farm-fresh eggs keep?
The answer to this question depends on how you choose to store your eggs. The average age of an egg you buy in the grocery store is 6 weeks old. The eggs you buy from us will be 7 days or fewer old. Your farm fresh eggs will keep longer if you refrigerate them. A day of being stored on the counter equals about a week stored in the refrigerator, so if you aren’t planning on eating your eggs right away it is probably best to refrigerate them. The USDA recommends a maximum of 5 weeks in the refrigerator before discarding unused eggs. However, commercial egg farmers have 30 days to get their eggs to the supermarket; the supermarket then has another 30 days to sell the eggs. You do the math. J
What is that spot in my farm-fresh egg?
Red “blood spots” and brown “meat spots” are common in farm-fresh eggs, and do not affect the safety or taste of your egg. Contrary to what many people assume, blood spots and meat spots do NOT indicate a fertilized egg. The red blood spots are caused by the rupture of blood vessels on the yolk or the wall of the chicken’s oviduct during the formation of the egg. A brown “meat spot” is a small piece of organ tissue or a partially broken-down blood spot. It is perfectly fine to leave blood and meat spots while preparing and eating eggs, but some people prefer to remove the spot before cooking.
Ewww! What if I come across a fertilized egg?!
Chances are you’ve eaten a fertilized egg and didn’t even know it! J It is common for people to eat fertilized, farm-fresh eggs. Fertilized eggs do not grow chick embryos unless they are given the chance (the right temperature, and time). We collect eggs daily (often more frequently) and refrigerate them, so the cool temperature completely removes the possibility of embryos forming in our eggs. Rest assured, you will NOT break open one of our eggs and find a half-formed chick!
Why do farm-fresh eggs come in so many different colors and sizes?
Breed and genetics determine the color and size of eggs a chicken produces, and the nutrition of eggs is not affected by an egg’s size and color. Eggs come in white, as well as shades of cream, brown, chocolate, blue, olive, and even pink! Sizes range from jumbo to peewee. The bigger the chicken breed, the bigger the eggs. All eggs start out white in the oviduct, but in some breeds a color is deposited on the outside of the eggs during its journey through the oviduct, creating the pigmented eggs.
i saw raccoons and it sent me into a hardware cloth hog ringing frenzy.
