Pastured Mutt Chicken Eggs

This page is for the birds! 

Following Joel Salatin's model, we use the chickens and birds (we have had a few turkeys and ducks as well that lay occasionally) as clean up crew after the other animals.  They do a good job of breaking up cow poo patties and gobbling up the fly larvae, cutting down on the fly population.  They are also useful in getting rid of pesky bugs in places that I want to plant my garden.  They scratch up any old dead hay from Betsy's stall and eliminate all the weed seeds and spare grain they can find, and make the most beautiful compost, ever.  When you rotate in pigs in the mix before putting the birds on that dirt, you have gorgeous compost.  The plants go nuts.  We don't keep roosters now, because the neighbor hates them. 

A side benefit of all this chicken goodness, is that these little darlings poop breakfast.  

Our eggs are part of our health journey and feed our family first, and then we sell off the extra in a cooler at the field drive.  We don't always have eggs availabe, but Walmart does, if you are looking to have eggs any time, anywhere.   Go for it.   But if you would like a special treat of fresh, round, globular, firm yolks with that undeniably creamy texture that just rocks your world (ok, I'm spoiled and I really love my eggs), from free

range chickens that spend their days happy as a clam scratching up bugs and worms all day... that would be here. They get an Excel Layer Pellet once in a while, but mostly they just steal Excel Barnyard Buffet from the pigs, and... stuff outside.    I try to post here or on Facebook (link above) so people can still know what's going on at Beggs n Achin', and get updates on things like "are there eggs in the box?"  I get phone calls about the box a lot. 

Pictured here, I've got a simple cooler out there for now, with ice replaced daily, twice daily on hot days.  There is an honor box out there on the post you stick your money in, extra plastic bags to carry the cartons in, and any egg cartons are appreciated.  If there's eggs, there'll be a big "EGGS" sign with an arrow.  And if I'm out, I know several folks here within a 3 mile radius with eggs out for sale as well.  I'm not the only game in town.  In 2019, I was asking $3 a dozen, which almost covers the feed bill. In the future, hubs is working on an official farm stand on wheels out in the same spot by the field, with veggies and eggs. 

That being said, sadly, as of 8/3/19... I'm not putting the cart out there for quite a while because the hens are being freeloading slackers that only want to hatch... eggs and not just lay them for my food. Imagine, the nerve! Predators have been an ongoing problem. Covid made an increase in demand for both chickens and eggs, but the girls weren't keeping up.  There are also chicks in the incubator (because I no longer have roosters)  as we speak. 

So, eggs that get sat on for a day, when I pick them up, there are little "roosters" in them, partially developed embryos that sometimes really gross people out.  So I won't sell them that way.  Sorry.  Me? I make omellettes, but a lot of folks don't understand. 

I'll post when I have them again.  Hopefully some more in 2020, but usually early Spring is when my ladies like to go nuts. I have an incubator going for more ladies, and also some things in the works for the ongoing predator problem. Chick brooder box in my living room, all sorts of stuff.  It's nuts around here.