What a mouthfull! This is where it all started. Our beautiful hens and ducks represent rare and heritage breeds. They lay delicious eggs in a wide range of colors - shades of peach, chocolate, olive and blue. The rich orange yolks reveal a superior diet.
Each bird has a name (a few of them share) and is treated like a family pet. A few individuals can be visited at the county fair each year. Our poultry spend their days grazing, dust bathing and lying in the warmth of the sun.
Absolutely not!
Yes and no. Our eggs are not certified organic. The certification would be prohibitively expensive and difficult for a small producer such as us. I can tell you that our animals are healthy, happy and get love and affection. They are allowed to run the property freely and engage in their natural behaviors when the weather is good. They also have a safe, secure shelter to get a good night's sleep. They are not fed anything gross either. One of your future goals is to become Certified Naturally Grown.
It is something of an exaggeration that chicken magically stop laying at a certain age. You would see that a lot in battery hens who are kept in cruel conditions until they are all used up. Our chickens are not 1) fed unnatural amounts of protein to lay too many eggs, 2) kept with the light on 24/7/365 so they lay all the time, or 3) of a certain breed that is know to lay a ridiculous amount of eggs. All of that excessive laying reduces the lifespan of a laying hen considerably.
Eggs that are collected clean from the nest are not washed. Eggs with light dirt on them are rinsed gently in warm water. If an egg is too dirty for a gentle rinse to get it clean, it is not offered for sale. Washing eggs removes the cuticle and compromises the integrity of the shell. A strong shell keeps an egg fresh longer.
