New Beginnings

In light of the recent commercial egg crisis we have been particularly sad that we do not have "safe" eggs of our own to eat. Hopefully that is changing! The baby chicks that we purchased this spring are just starting to lay eggs! They are still a little small but truly a sight for sore eyes. You can see how tiny they look with the commercial eggs in the picture above. When chickens lay their first eggs, they lay what is typically called a pullet egg. Its sort of a starter egg. Sometimes not much bigger than the circumference of a quarter. It only takes one or two before they are up to speed. Depending on the breed, new hens will lay any where from 250 to 300 eggs per year. The Rhode Island Red and the Australorp are at the top of the list! My personal favorite is the Barred Rock or Buff Orpington.