Egg prices WILL rise again

[MRNpoultry]

The eggs at the super market do not come no where close to the eggs I get from my hens. So far, we have 2 gardens, 8 chickens, getting a bator. Now if I could talk my parents into getting a goat we would have just about everything we need.

 

[sundance]

Miss Prissy, don't the goats tie you down to the house, what do you do if you have to go out of town for a few days,Do they have to be milked every day, I've been trying to get my dau to get a goat, but she complains of all the work they are and at 71 I can't do itall. Sorry I got off thread gas here is $3.28 a gal, milk is $3.49 at wal-marts and 5olb of feed which I bought today was $11.22 marrie

 

[MissPrissy]

You do need someone to come milk them if you can't. With milk goats you are commiting to milking every morning and night.

I will tell you what I have heard some call the lazy man's way and one of the ways I know a more 'earthy' group of people around here raise theirs. When the does kid they leave one baby to suck per doe and milk once a day. They get their 1 gallon and the babies still feed. If you ever have to leave them and can't find someone to milk you know the baby will feed. For those people it works well for their lifestyle. For the more rigid 'dairy goat farmers' around here they frown on it. I say if it works for you and the animal are healthy what's wrong with it?

Other than the days when you have to check and trim hooves and the general over all well being I spend about 15 min a day doing actual goat chores. When milking I can milk out my does in under 15 min each.

 

[MRNpoultry]

Will one doe give 5 people enough milk?
Do you just feed them hay and grain?
One last question are they expensive to take care of?

I am going to try to talk my parents into getting a goat.

 

[MissPrissy]

They forage. They need brushy places to get fresh greens, leaves, etc. they don't graze unless there is nothing else to eat.

I haven't spent much of any money at all on my goats for non-feed related issues except when I got them I had a vet come look them over and teach me how to check them over and how to give and what kind of vaccines they needed for this area. I am in an area where it is recommended that goats get vaccinated. Other than buying hoof trimmers and such they haven't cost me anything but feed and hay.

In exchange for feed and hay we have had milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, and several cheeses plus soap.

 

[Miltonchix]

DW and I were visiting kids/grandkids in Walla Walla WA in December. While at Safeway we noticed the price of eggs was nearly $4 dz!! We were commenting on this and how we haven't bought eggs in quite some time and how we have, if anything way too many eggs. An older lady who was nearby comes over and asks if we have any extra eggs she could sure use them. She said at $4 dz she had to treat eggs as a luxury. It was heart wrenching to have to tell her our chickens were 2500 miles away.

ALL of us, who are more fortunate than other people, need to share our bounty. A lot of elderly on fixed incomes are going to find food of any kind a luxury. You don't have to have a pocket full of money to help. Our chickens lay everyday. We eat maybe 20% of these eggs. The other 80% are given freely with nothing expected in return. The smiles are more than enough!

 

[MissPrissy]

Your local food bank will take the extra eggs and make sure those in need get them. I do the USDA paperwork for our local food pantry. Eggs are highly appreciated by all.

 

[MRNpoultry]

In exchange for feed and hay we have had milk, yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, buttermilk, and several cheeses plus soap.

That sounds like a pretty good trade off.​

 

[opihiman911]

Quote:
AMEN AMEN AMEN to that.

We have 2 elderly neighbors, both in their 80's. They each get eggs from me every week on top of any extra vegi and fruit that i harvest. It is heartbreaking to bring a bowl of stew over to them for dinner and then see them ration it out to last for 3 days.

I get so angry when we get these freeloading newage hippies come to my house and ask if the can pick (i.e. rape) my fruit trees and vegi garden because they want to live off the land. I tell them to go and work on the land then you can live off it. I would much rather give my bounty to our kapuna/elderly who have worked so hard in the past to give us a better world to live in. They are the ones with the wisdom and know how that we need to learn from before it too late. They are the ones, one geration ago, who know how to be self sustaining and live off the land, not these lazy loser newager wannabe land livers who don't want to work and want everything for free.

I'm off my soapbox now and going to go and give my neighbor one of my first mangos of the year.

Cory

 

[wynedot55]

making a bowl of soup or stew last 3 days is the way they beleive in doing things.they want it to last because its so good.when i had extra eggs i took them to the meal a day center.an they was glad to get them.