Stranger Things Have Happened
I don't think I've told you, but every Sunday I go out to lunch with my dad. Come rain, hail or shine (I'd say snow, too, but we're in south Florida), I head to his place to pick him up at 1 p.m. No phone call necessary. It's an unspoken standing date. We almost always eat at this great little Israeli restaurant in Hollywood called At Yakov, just east of 441 on Stirling Road. They have great falafel and other tasty Israeli /Middle Eastern dishes, and we love the fact that everything is made from scratch so we don't have to worry about what preservatives and additives are in the food. Daddy almost always orders the Yemenite soup and I almost always order the baby chicken pita or platter.
Anyway, we did our lunch thing today and, like most Sundays, I needed to do some grocery shopping, so first we stopped at Costco and I picked up some organic quinoa, which is the cheapest place I've found to get it - $2.34 a pound versus the $3.99 even in the bulk section of Whole Foods. And then we headed to Whole Foods. We got the few things I needed and then made our usual stop at the juice counter to get a bag of pulp for the chickens before heading to the register. There are almost always 1 or 2 people in line at the juice counter and just as routinely at least one of them will ask what my plans are for the pulp, at which point I joyfully launch into telling them about my backyard chickens (I'm sure some of them are sorry they asked). And, per the norm, someone asked today, but this time she asked if she could buy eggs from me. I got so excited. My first egg customer! I explained that I really wouldn't have enough to sell till about December as my babies won't start laying till then, but she dutifully took my number and said she'd call. While I don't have any delusions that I'll make money on the deal, I'd be downright clucky if I could at some point cover the cost of their feed.
And that's the chicken news of the day!
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8 comments:
How awesome is THAT. While I want to have chicken and I will eventually when I can finally retire, I pass a house that has a sign that says fresh eggs. One day I will stop and check them out.
Our retirement house in North Central Florida is in a area where they use to have a BUNCH of chicken farms, not for eggs but I think they raised them for the Chicken Processing Plant which we also had.
I have noticed within the last 2 years a lot of the chicken farms no longer have the chicken so I do not know what is up with that. Bad economy I guess.
How many chickens do you have? Chickens lay 1 egg a day, right? If you wanted a dozen eggs a day you would need 12 chickens? Hey sell the eggs for $3.00 a piece LOL maybe you would make a few pennies out of it.
All I will need is a few chickens, we only eat maybe 4 eggs a week.
Tricia - in general, chickens lay 1egg every 26 hours, but in reality they lay about 5-6 eggs a week depending on the breed - some are more regular layers than others. Orpingtons are more regular than Australorps. I have 4 hens that are laying right now and in the month of July from those 4 I got 104 eggs, which is 3.35 eggs per day. That's pretty good in this heat. If all you want is 4 eggs a week, then I wouldn't get more than 1 hen - 2 if you want to be able to give some away. I hear that Rhode Island Reds are very regular layers, like almost guaranteed 1 egg a day.
And as far as pricing goes, since they are pasture fed and supplemented with organic soy-free layer feed and table scraps, a dozen eggs will go for closer to $5a dozen. A dozen cage-free (which doesn't mean anything with USDA regulations) organic (which doesn't mean anything with USDA regulations) eggs at Whole Foods goes for $5.69 a dozen. In New York, the same type of eggs that I raise go for closer to $8 a dozen.
The high price is because of the organic, soy-free feed which I have found only in Pennsylvania and while the feed cost isn't outrageous, the shipping cost is the same as the feed cost, so it's quite pricey.
WOW you have done your research girl. I am all for ORGANIC.
I have a 4 inch think binder with all my organic garden plans and sketches along with pictures and information on every vegetable I plan to grow.
My entire organic raised garens beds will be enclosed in what we would call a butterfly house. It is an A frame structure about
30 ft X 24 ft and is covered top and sides with 1 inch square hardware cloth. this keeps all the animals and birds out but allows bees and other benefitial insects to fly in. The bottom of the sides are metal and is dug down about 8 inches to keep snails and grubs etc OUT. I also put mesh on the very bottom of the raised frames to also keep out the nasties, then fill will good soil, compost etc. My potting shed / greehouse sits next to the garden structure and the whole area has a picket fence.
When I get the chickens, they will be housed in the garden area too and I was thinking letting them loose in the gardens or at lease have a moveable chicken tractor.
I would love to do canning and sell some canned organic veggies.
As you know, in Florida we can pretty much grow year round YIPEE.
Our homestead is in North Central Florida near Live Oak, about 1/4 mile from the Suwannee River or 2 miles from the State Park. We are way out in the country. I plan on sharing my organic veggies with the few neighbors along our road which is not very many. I plan on have 12
We do not eat a lot of egg because of that cholesterol thing my hubby has going on but 2 eggs on Sunday does not hurt anything. I make a pretty mean Lemon Curd and that takes eggs too. So I will probably have 2 or 3 hens no more than 4, I am sure. The chicken I just love the looks of (because it is soooo pretty) is the Brahma. It lays brown eggs and is a good winter layer. I also like the Deleware hens and they lay large brown eggs too but I still have research to do on the cluck front.
So keep the chicken news coming. We are all learning as we go.
I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog, just wish you posted more frequently.
I do have a question about the planting guide you posted. Is this guide for us in the deep south? I thought it seem geared more to northern Florida. It is still so hot it does not seem possible that it is time to start some of the things listed.
Give the chickens a kiss for me
June
Hi June - the planting guide is taken from Tom MacCubbins "The Edible Landscape" and his planting guide is for the entirety of Florida. I do agree with you that it's too hot right now to direct sow into the ground, but I do think that seedlings could be planted to get things going. It's all a matter of what you can stand - I personally can't tolerate being outside for great lengths of time watering - it's just too daggone hot!
And because I'm not out in the heat planting, I'm not having much to write about for the blog. So bear with me, we'll all be picking up soon.
Loved the Stranger Things Have Happened Article! I wish I was closer, I too would buy eggs! :)
Ooh, how exciting! Fresh eggs are the bust!
Crap, I think my comment got messed up. I was trying to say Fresh eggs are the best. Not bust. LOL.
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