Want to know what brings us so much joy? Our chickens! Our main purpose for keeping our backyard chickens is to supply our family with fresh eggs, but we’ve decided to sell our extra to help pay for their feed and care. We started selling our eggs to friends and family, and have branched out to neighbors and friends of friends now!
What kind of eggs do you have? We have a variety of eggs from a variety of hens. We have some hens (our Easter Egger and Crested Cream Legbar) that lay blue eggs, a hen (an Olive Egger) that lays blue eggs, some hens (Barred Rocks, Buff Orphingtons) that lay brown and tan eggs, speckled eggs laid by our Welsummer hens, and white eggs (our silkie). We also plan to add to our flock to increase our variety of egg color, so more information on our new additions coming soon!
What kind of feed do you feed your hens? This is one we’re still working on, this is our first year with chickens so we’re learning what works for us. Our girls do eat NON-GMO certified food, which is important to us as a family. They also eat our table scraps and forage our yard for treats (bugs and worms) daily. We have thought about switching to organic feed, but we don’t eat organic as a family so can’t justify the cost of feed right now. It’s something we hope to start moving towards as we build our garden beds and expand our knowledge on preserving food.
Why do you sell your eggs unwashed? Unless there is poop on an egg, I will leave the eggs unwashed. When chickens lay an egg, there is a protective lay called a bloom that protects the egg from bacteria. Think of a broody hen sitting on her nest, you don’t want that egg to rot before it has times to form and hatch. Leaving the eggs unwashed allows for eggs to sit out at room temperature and not spoil. Once you get your eggs, feel free to keep them in the fridge or on the counter. Unwashed eggs sitting on the counter will keep for a few weeks, if you move them into the fridge they’ll last a few months. If you get your eggs and decide you just want to wash them all (just rinse them in warm water and that removes the bloom), you’ll definitely want to store them in the fridge.
How can I order eggs? If you’re a KC local, I usually travel around the city weekly. I make a drop off in Lee’s Summit, I sell up in North Kansas City (where we live), and am out south (Overland Park) usually once a week. Send me an email if you’re interested in buying a dozen or getting on a weekly or bimonthly pick up.
When I buy eggs, what am I supporting? You are supporting a small family, trying to find a balance in sustainable living with small square footage. We know what we are putting into these eggs and how the hens are handled and cared for. They are loved, and happy, and literally jump and skip all over our backyard living their best life. If we ever have a huge surplus and we happen to cover the cost of all our feed, treats, and maintenance, you might be helping us pay dance or gymnastics tuition for our daughter, which is an investment in our future. To sum it up, those few extra dollars go towards a whole lotta good.