The easiest time of year to acquire chickens — at least in these parts — comes in the weeks before Easter. That’s when the local mills and Tractor Supply have chicks for sale. Spring chickens can be counted on to start laying in August. The new girls are right on time — maybe even a little early.
The abbey’s chickens are always beautiful and healthy, but 2017 has been a special year, I think. The rain and cooler weather have made for excellent pasturing and foraging. The chickens here have three fenced areas. During the day, when it’s hot, they have full shade in the woods. They love to spend mornings and evenings in the orchard. And when there are no young plants to damage, they have full run of the garden.
The first eggs are slightly smaller than the eggs of the mature chickens, about 52 grams vs. 62 grams. All the girls are laying superb eggs with good shells and golden yolks from all the grass and clover.
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Lucky guy… my eggs come from Aldi’s ($.43 per dozen)I haven’t experienced eggs from free range chickens so don’t know what I’m missing…probably should keep it that way.
You can get eggs for 43 cents a dozen?? That’s amazing…
Chickens that can forage get a very varied diet. I’ve read that they’ll eat almost half their calories in grass and clover. When I let the chickens out each morning, they go straight to the clover and young grass. If there is grass that has gone to seed, they strip the seed stalk with their beaks to get the seed. They love bugs and grubs, but they also love their vegetables. But it’s mostly the grass and clover, I think, that gives the yolks such a deep golden color. I believe it also improves the omega-3 omega-6 balance of the eggs.
If I were your neighbor I would be scrambling for trade items to get a few of your eggs.
As to Aldi’s, for some months now Aldi’s has sold eggs for less than $.45/dozen and milk, skim/2%/whole for $1.04, half gallons for $.52. OJ, “not from concentrate” $2.09. These are not Sale prices, but appear to be ongoing regular rates.
2 over easy please, with toast, OJ, and a fresh cup of country coffee. My grandma used to make them that way for us. The coffee pot was an aluminum thing that had a glass top in the center and would show the color of the coffee as it was getting to the ready point. The stove by the way was wood fired. Dozen eggs in Lincoln cost about $5-6 bucks
I remember those coffee pots! And, back in the 1970s, I had wood cookstoves for 10 or 12 years. I’d kill to have one again.
Is Lincoln in California? Why were eggs so expensive?
Lincoln is in California near Auburn north of Sacramento
We buy from Nugget grocers, large brown egg, range hens, so I guess it cost to hunt for the egg 😉
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