You spoke, we listened! This week we welcome 100 new chickens to the farm, with a brand new chicken coop built for their arrival. We thought we’d take this opportunity to highlight our new layers in this week’s blog post!
If you’ve ever been curious about the life of a farm chicken, here’s your chance to get the inside scoop. Our hens spend most of the day socializing and getting exercise. They also enjoy scratching at the dirt and eating. They will happily munch on lettuce, insects, grain and fruit. It is a little known fact that they are capable of eating a wider variety of foods than some hogs! Luckily, we’re here to ensure they have a nutritious and balanced diet.
At some point during the day, they will make their way to the shared nesting boxes to lay an egg. These are collected in the morning and again before nightfall. The eggs are immediately washed, crated and refrigerated.
In the evening they settle in to roost. The lights are turned out in the coop so they can enjoy up to 8 hours of undisturbed darkness before starting another day on the farm. But don’t listen for any roosters crowing in the wee hours of the morning, our coops are hens only.
Our newest chickens are just 17 weeks old, known as “poulets.” At this stage in their development, it is essential that we feed them a diet high in protein and minerals. This will lead to healthier egg production later in life. They will start laying at about 22 weeks and will continue to lay for about 2 to 3 years.
With the addition of these young hens, our total chicken count will be at 250. And, with an average of about 1 egg laid per chicken per day, we are well on our way to supplying market goers and local restaurants with plenty of beautiful and delicious farm fresh eggs.
