A Chicken Vacation
Unlike a lot of people who raise chickens, I like to let my birds rest.
The average chicken lays an egg every other day. As the day shortens, it's their cue to store their energy and quit laying for the year. It's not a hardship for me because I usually have enough stored eggs to sustain me through the winter. The only people who suffer are those who have come to depend on my eggs.
Some of my super producers are still giving me an egg every so often, but most of them have quit. I suppose if my livelihood depended on selling eggs I might consider leaving the light on longer in their coop, but I feel they've done their part.
I don't get rid of my birds yearly like commercial producers, so I like to give them a break and let them recuperate from their hard work.
If necessary, I might start leaving the light on for an extra hour in February to get them re-motivated. It all depends on when my super producers decide to get back into action. I always allow them to go into molt (where they get all scruffy-looking) and let them get their new coat of feathers before I ask anything more from them.
I feel I should do something to celebrate the end of the Mayan calendar, seeing as how they're kind of related to me--on my father's side. My mother's family came from Spain and France.
Do you plan on celebrating the apocalypse this year? I'm going to be alone again that week, so I'm available for warrior dancing and strong drink.
Update: A more complete explanation for storing eggs is up at Back to Basics. Thanks to Marlene Dotterer and Mike Keyton for their questions.
Comments
We all have our own priorities.
;O)
Hope your dogs have enough bandanas too.
Very cool that you let your chickens get in some rest and relaxation after all their hard work.
I think chickens should get some vacation even if it's just a month. The body can't run full tilt boogie all the time.
Hmm...maybe now is the time to let myself go and eat whatever I want...
I give myself permission to do that every year. :)
I'm gonna have to think about this chocolate hoarding thing. That's a great idea.
Mind, I'm intrigued by your storing eggs for 3-4 months - don't they go off?
You say you have enough eggs to get through the winter. Can you give us tips on how to do this? I've always thought that eggs spoiled after a few weeks, so I only buy what I think I'll use in a week or two. Can I buy 20 dozen and keep them in my fridge for three months or more? Assume I'm buying eggs from free-range, pastured chickens, like yours.
I'd like to avoid buying eggs during the time when chickens naturally stop laying. I'm willing to figure out how to "go without" eggs for a few months, but husband would freak.
Dec. 21 is also on a Friday.
Ref: chocolate
I'm so ashamed I didn't think of this sooner. LOL.
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Marlene/Mike: You both asked about egg freshness.
This is an excellent topic for Back to Basics which I'll post tomorrow more in depth.
But to answer your question on how long they last--a farm fresh egg should last upwards of 8-12 weeks if they're refrigerated.
During the winter, I regularly use eggs that are two months old. I read the US government says 10 weeks. But some of the farmers I've talked to said they will easily last 3 months.
So, Marlene, you should be safe to store them.
That said, some ducks and chickens will lay almost all year long without being forced. We used to raise Khaki Campbell ducks and those little guys would lay an egg almost every day. They were phenomenal layers.
I'll write more about storing eggs on Back to Basics tomorrow.
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Susan: You're talking to someone who used to throw hurricane parties. No reason not to do a doomsday party too. At least we'll have lights--I hope.
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Jenny: :sigh: No one ever takes the chicken conspiracies seriously.
I don't buy into this whole apocalypse stuff. I bought into the 2000 story but I was like 14 or so at the time. Now it's like whatever, I've lived through the "apocalypse" (meaning 2000) already.
I did recently saw a show about how the Mayans weren't so much as predicting the end as they were marking the end of a certain time cycle. I thought that was pretty cool.
Fortunately, they fixed the problem. Whew! Losing Godiva is nothing less than cataclysmic. :)
I'm not sure how the end of the Mayan calendar became a doomsday legend, but from my understanding, the Mayans called it a shift--not the end.
I'm glad your guys came out of it okay. At least they have experience on their side now.