Aviculture for the Egg Buyer

This spring we began selling eggs. With most of the girls laying an egg a day, we were facing the possibility of eating omelets for breakfast, egg salad for lunch, and quiche for dinner every day. At one point we had eleven dozen eggs in the refrigerator. We were drowning in eggs and detested the idea of wasting them, when we could sell them and recoup a little of the money we spend on feed.

It actually takes a lot more work to sell eggs than one would think.  Selling eggs by appointment involves a lot of emailing back and forth to answer questions about the eggs, to confirm the pickup schedule and to make certain the buyers know where to go. Despite the inconvenience of selling, it is surprisingly satisfying, primarily because my customers allow me opportunities to talk about my new favorite subject... chickens.  We do have one customer who only thinks of the hens as organic egg factories, but he is the annoying exception to the rule.

Not only do people have a lot of different opinions about chickens and eggs, there's actually a lot to consider in raising layers. Customers have preferences for fertilized eggs, organic eggs, free range eggs, and humanely produced eggs. I give out information on breeding, cleaning, housing, foraging, diet, behavior, and egg anatomy. Some of the more common topics of discussion with customers are:

1. The eggs need to be washed.  Chicken coops are filthy, so the eggs have to be washed at some point. Store bought eggs will have been washed, disinfected and sprayed with a coating of mineral oil to reseal them. The oil isn't as good a seal as the one the hen puts on it when she lays the egg, so we don't wash ours. Unwashed eggs will stay fresher longer, but they have to be cleaned before they can be handled around other food. Our state requires a health statement on the box of eggs, but it doesn't really address the need to wash the eggs, so we make certain customers get the full explanation.
2. Our eggs are not certified organic, though organic practices are used. Organic generally means that the chickens are not exposed to pesticides, toxic chemicals or antibiotics. We feed our girls organic feed and scratch. We don't use pesticides anywhere on the property, so even their forage is safe. Nonetheless, the girls dig up and eat Goodness knows what in the yard. They get kitchen scraps as treats. We reserve the right to save their little lives with emergency antibiotics.
3. Old eggs float. The way to tell if an egg is fresh is to drop it in a glass of water.  The more buoyant the egg.  The older it is.
4. Wrinkled eggs are a result of improper timing. Eggs bump into each other inside the chicken, cracking and mending as they go.  The egg itself is no different than other eggs, except for the warped appearance.
5. Chickens are omnivores.  They eat feed, seeds, weeds, worms, grasshoppers, caterpillars, slugs, mice, bits of string, scraps of paper, eggs, each other... The list goes on. Omnivores. 
6. Chickens are modern day dinosaurs. No kidding. They screech and shriek and growl like the soundtrack of a Jurassic Park movie. Whoever animated those movies had to have spent hours watching their mannerisms.

I was a bit embarrassed when one couple, wanting to promote humane poultry practices, asked

Paddocks Around the Chicken Coop

exactly how much square footage per chicken we had. At the time it was 32 square feet per chicken indoors, but only 3 square feet per chicken outdoors, which is poor in my opinion.  Since then Salt has installed a paddock system to give the chickens access to a different outdoor enclosure every week, while the other enclosures rejuvenate. Their outdoor space has grown to 27 square feet of outdoor space per chicken, which is far beyond the recommended minimum, especially when combined with the indoor space.  The paddocks are not entirely secure against digging predators, but the hens are only out during the day when these predators are rare. A shade cloth is hung over the paddock to deter hawks.

We have one customer who was so interested in raising hens of his own that I invited him and his girlfriend over to meet the girls and discuss housing and flock management practices. They rode out on their motorcycle one blustery, sunny day and sipped coffee while we talked about housing practices and behavioral problems. Then we took them out to the coop, which was a mess at the time, because we practice deep litter method of composting in the coop during the winter time.

After a winter with the coop windows closed the air smells pretty ripe in there, so it's difficult to keep any romantic notions about how great it is to have chickens. Our customers were able to collect their own eggs that morning, one of which was so fresh the bloom hadn't dried. It was gratifying for the girls to receive thanks and praise for all of the hard work directly from their customers.

Ayam Cemani Rooster and Hen, Copyright chickensales.com.au

Sometimes our customers teach us a thing or two. I recently learned that eggs from black hens, especially ayam cemani hens, are prized for spiritual cleansing ceremonies.  I don't have any of the beautifully black pigmented ayam cemani chickens, but Olive and Helga's eggs are apparently good enough to dispel evil spirits and restore a healthy aura. Good girls.

Despite all of the egg sales we are far from breaking even. The investment in building chicken paddocks, the new windows we needed for the coop, the upcoming insulation project, et cetera is all adding up.  Still, one can't fault the hens for not pulling their weight.  An egg a day is hard work. It's not like I could do it.

Coop Windows with Hail Damage

New Windows on the Coop