Farm news April

The month of the egg!  With Easter next weekend we are seeing eggs everywhere.  I think eggs have become  synonymous with Easter because they are so plentiful this time of year.  They would have been the most available protein in early spring before we took the seasons out of how we eat. 

Through our industrial food system, we have changed it so we are used to having eggs all the time.  Truth is eggs are naturally a very seasonal food item.  We have made it so they are available year round now through refrigeration, breeding hens to lay more and giving hens often very unnatural duration of artificial light.  While we do get some eggs in the winter it’s really only about a 20-25% lay rate from November to late February.  As the days get longer, lay rate moves close to 95%.  

Overall the egg supplies at the grocery stores seem to be recovering from the shortages last fall.  We were privileged to help the community weather those shortages with our local production.  Even though supply across the board has increased, this is a great time to stock up on eggs to preserve some for the fall and winter when eggs are in shorter supply.  I like to crack whole eggs into silicone muffin cups and freeze.  Once frozen, I transfer them into freezer bags and then when I need eggs for cooking or baking in the winter months, we pull what we need and defrost in the fridge.  I’m also going to experiment with water glassing eggs, an old technique of using lime water to preserve eggs long term without refrigeration.  I’ll let you know how it goes. 

We have seen a steady pickup in the last few weeks including our pullet (young hen) flock that came to us as day old chicks in October.   The ducks and geese are also laying. This all makes sense if you look at the cycles of seasons.  Eggs laid now will hatch in early spring and the birds would have the summer to grow and feather before migration.  Of course our chickens are not migrating anywhere.  As soon as the snow melts off the fields, we will move both flocks in chickens into a WinniEggo for the summer and the geese will travel the fields with them for protection. 

In the winter the hens live in our deep bedding hoophouses.  They still get the same feed they get year round which is a complete feed with black fly larva as a main protein source.  Since they are not out on pasture, we also give them hay daily to have the grass component they get in the summer.   We also provide them with added treats that both expand what they are eating.  This helps the eggs have more flavor and keeps them busy pecking and scratching as they are naturally inclined to.  If you have a backyard flock, table scraps are a great way to add to a hens diet.  Even feeding all the mouths we are, we don’t produce enough scraps for the almost 1000 hens we have.  So we get some help in that area.  We get the scraps from the high school salad bar.  We partner with a local market to take all their damaged or unsold produce.  We also take the spent brewers grains from a local brewery which in the winter freeze into a giant block that provides hours of entertainment.   Not only do these things help the hens, it also reduces food waste going to the landfills.  Bird have always been natures clean up crew.  

What are your favorite egg recipes?  Do you have a trick for preserving eggs?

Wishing you a Happy Easter and wonderful spring,

Aila