Hens and Eggs.

We are being blessed with an abundance of eggs at the moment. Usually egg production declines sharply thru the winter months as there is less sun for the chickens to frolick in. But, after giving them a 2 month rest periods, we have started lighting the chicken coop for a few hours every night. Does it work? Well, we went from about 30% production to 85%. So we are rolling in eggs. In addition to the usual free-range brown eggs we produce, our Marans and Americanas have started laying. The marans give a beautiful very dark brown egg. The americanas, also known as easter-eggers, are producing eggs with various pastel colored shells. So far we have gotten several green, a few tan and one blue egg. Every day is a surprise. Several of the newer hens have created a challange by using places other than the coop's laying boxes. Their favorite places are the haybales in the barn and the hayfeeder in the summer pasture. But they have established their favorite places and use them every day, so we know just where to look. That's what you get with free-range hens and eggs.