# We have our first EGGS!!!



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm so excited about this and just had to share. Our chickens are just under 6 months old and are all growed up! We have been meaning to build nesting boxes knowing that they would be laying soon, but Jon's old drill barely stays charged for more than 5 minutes so we were trying to hold out on getting the new one he ordered on Black Friday. We were out turning the chicken bedding and low and behold! We found 2 fresh pullet eggs out there (pullet eggs are just smaller).










Here's our two eggs next to a store bought one we have: 










So Jon and I re-purposed some old cabinets we tore out of the kitchen to use for nesting boxes, plus an old door that serves as a roof to keep them from roosting up on top. 










I'm excited to see how they start laying...the more we get the more we can share! I already have people interested in getting fresh, free range chicken eggs from us. Plus I know the girls will enjoy them immensely!


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## Missy Mae (Nov 8, 2011)

That is so exciting. We are moving to UT this summer and hope to be in the country, so to speak, so that we can start raising some our own food! We are also checking into raising rabbits for the animals. Rabbit is the ferrets fav food after lamb! I don't know that it would be cost effective to raise sheep though, might try goats too.


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

That's awesome!!! start putting adds on CL 2$ a dozen! :lol:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Missy Mae said:


> That is so exciting. We are moving to UT this summer and hope to be in the country, so to speak, so that we can start raising some our own food! We are also checking into raising rabbits for the animals. Rabbit is the ferrets fav good after lamb! I don't know that it would be cost effective to raise sheep though, might try goats too.


We are also looking into raising rabbits for meat, but that's a project for next year I think! I don't think we will ever raise livestock because its a LOT of work, plus they would possibly pollute our fresh water well as its not a deep well (only 18 feet down!). 



Tobi said:


> That's awesome!!! start putting adds on CL 2$ a dozen! :lol:


HA! That would be getting a bit ahead of ourselves I think....maybe once the chickens get really into laying will we know what kind of out put they will produce. Jon, the dogs and I get first dibs! I can easily see using a dozen per day between us all...


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

That's a great nest house! I love my hen house 

Congrats on the first eggs! I'm sure you will enjoy many more! 

We did away with 3 hens tonight (they were older). One of them had a half grown egg in her. So weird!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sprocket said:


> That's a great nest house! I love my hen house
> 
> Congrats on the first eggs! I'm sure you will enjoy many more!
> 
> We did away with 3 hens tonight (they were older). One of them had a half grown egg in her. So weird!


Thanks! I've butchered a few chickens with half grown eggs in them...SO weird and even more stinky!

Why did you do away with the older hens? Just curious....this is the first time we've raised chickens so I can always use to learn more!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Thanks! I've butchered a few chickens with half grown eggs in them...SO weird and even more stinky!
> 
> Why did you do away with the older hens? Just curious....this is the first time we've raised chickens so I can always use to learn more!



I want to get younger ones (these were 4 and their egg production drops off drastically) have limited space. They weren't very friendly either. 

My other 2 hens are sweethearts and will crawl in your lap. I'd much rather have 3 more friendly ones


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> We are also looking into raising rabbits for meat, but that's a project for next year I think! I don't think we will ever raise livestock because its a LOT of work, plus they would possibly pollute our fresh water well as its not a deep well (only 18 feet down!).
> 
> HA! That would be getting a bit ahead of ourselves I think....maybe once the chickens get really into laying will we know what kind of out put they will produce. Jon, the dogs and I get first dibs! I can easily see using a dozen per day between us all...


WOW 12 a day! were lucky to go through that in a two week time! :lol: We're going to have ours starting in the spring, i've got to break down an old barn and i get to reuse the lumber from it... 

I've heard from alot of people around here that Rabbits are so much easier than chickens, i've thought about starting at the same time, but i don't want to get ahead of myself! What kinds of livestock are you two thinking about? I can't imagine doing a cow... but... pigs nothing would EVER go to waste!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

Drew and I are planning on moving to Idaho, having a few steers, hogs, chickens/ turkeys, maybe goats. 

 and horses of course but not for eating!


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Tobi said:


> That's awesome!!! start putting adds on CL 2$ a dozen! :lol:


Oh, that's way too modest a price! I pay up to $7.00 for pastured eggs. hwell:

Anyway, congrats on the new venture. I remember eating some eggs from a friend of mine who lived on about 68 acres of land north of NYC, where the chickens had the run of the place (during the day.) They were soooo good: rich and deep golden yolks.
Even the store bought pastured ones don't quite measure up to real *fresh* eggs...


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Oh, that's way too modest a price! I pay up to $7.00 for pastured eggs. hwell:
> 
> Anyway, congrats on the new venture. I remember eating some eggs from a friend of mine who lived on about 68 acres of land north of NYC, where the chickens had the run of the place (during the day.) They were soooo good: rich and deep golden yolks.
> Even the store bought pastured ones don't quite measure up to real *fresh* eggs...


Around here people are flooding CL with it, though... we are very rural so 1/2 the homes around here have chickens anyways :lol:


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Oh- good point! Man, I really lose perspective on the prices of things if I stay around the city too much... so dang expensive here!


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## jdatwood (Apr 13, 2009)

Tobi said:


> WOW 12 a day! were lucky to go through that in a two week time! :lol: We're going to have ours starting in the spring, i've got to break down an old barn and i get to reuse the lumber from it...
> 
> I've heard from alot of people around here that Rabbits are so much easier than chickens, i've thought about starting at the same time, but i don't want to get ahead of myself! What kinds of livestock are you two thinking about? I can't imagine doing a cow... but... pigs nothing would EVER go to waste!


We usually go through about 6 large eggs a day. Breakfast usually consists of some sort of veggie & eggs scramble.

Chickens are pretty darn easy from our short experience. The biggest "hassle" so far is making food for them about once a week. That's just mixing grains & seeds up though... no big deal. During they day we keep them in their fenced area. The last 2-3 hours of the day we open the gate and give them free reign of the property. They put themselves to bed at dark and we just go out and close the door a couple of hours after dark. I can't imagine it getting much easier.

Not sure what livestock we'll do. They definitely are more hassle...

If we do end up selling the eggs it'll probably be for around $3-4/dz. I can't see charging LESS than a dozen of Eggland's Best sells for at Walmart....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sprocket said:


> Drew and I are planning on moving to Idaho, having a few steers, hogs, chickens/ turkeys, maybe goats.
> 
> and horses of course but not for eating!


Where in Idaho? When? Jon and I moved up just north of Coeur d'Alene near Rathdrum....gorgeous country and AWESOME deals on property/houses up here at the moment. Better get up here before the rest of the world does! Oh and we also have turkeys...Tom, mom and 3 babies!


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## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

Congratulations Natalie and Jon on your first eggs!
I remember how excited you guys were to get the chicks,
peep peep peep peep!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Where in Idaho? When? Jon and I moved up just north of Coeur d'Alene near Rathdrum....gorgeous country and AWESOME deals on property/houses up here at the moment. Better get up here before the rest of the world does! Oh and we also have turkeys...Tom, mom and 3 babies!



We haven't decided on a place yet!  it will be in 2 years or so 

Wish it was sooner, this state is not good.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Sprocket said:


> We haven't decided on a place yet!  it will be in 2 years or so
> 
> Wish it was sooner, this state is not good.


Yeah, thats how Colorado was too...WAY too many people and way too expensive to live anywhere worthwhile. 

Well, I LOVE living here in the Panhandle of Idaho. I highly recommend it!


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Yeah, thats how Colorado was too...WAY too many people and way too expensive to live anywhere worthwhile.
> 
> Well, I LOVE living here in the Panhandle of Idaho. I highly recommend it!


We decided on Idaho because it's close enough to Ca for our family's and far enough to have everything we want.  I REALLY excited to move!

Maybe I'll see you there!


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

NewYorkDogue said:


> Oh- good point! Man, I really lose perspective on the prices of things if I stay around the city too much... so dang expensive here!


 ya, it's amazing at the price changes when you get into a metro area vs a very rural area, suffice it to say, i will VERY much miss the prices of eggs on CL here and stuff when we move to a more populated area. you can also get so much livestock, and chickens on cl here, sometimes you can find layers for 2-5$ each!


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

Awesome that's so cool, my parents have around 30 chickens now and they are getting a little older and this time of year don't lay as much, but my parents still get around 12 to 18 eggs a day! They taste so much better than store bought ones. It's sad because I will drive nearly 300 miles to get eggs from them rather than buy them from the store lol.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Huginn said:


> Awesome that's so cool, my parents have around 30 chickens now and they are getting a little older and this time of year don't lay as much, but my parents still get around 12 to 18 eggs a day! They taste so much better than store bought ones. It's sad because I will drive nearly 300 miles to get eggs from them rather than buy them from the store lol.


Once our hens start laying on a regular basis you are more than welcome to take some since we are a lot closer than 300 miles!


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## tricia beaver (Jul 16, 2011)

Congrats! I love Idaho...well I was born there... my brother has property there and is building his own house. Might have to stop by next time I head out that way.

I have been tossing around the idea of raising rabbits in my mind but I have to convince my husband to let me. It will probably happen after we get a new place, hopefully this summer....


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## Herzo (Feb 5, 2011)

Congratulations on the first eggs how exiting. I would love to have chickens but we'll see, don't think I could kill them though. And rabbits I love rabbits, had some of those once. I got them from people in town because they had been turned loose and were eating gardens and flowers. They were all over town so people would trap them and bring them to the shelter. I started turning them out on my property, they were so cute I just loved them but then tularemia came and got all our rabbits wild and domestic. It was so sad one of them had babys. 

Ranch eggs here are about $3.50 a doz but one gal sells them for $3.99 a doz. She calls them free range but I'm not sure there not the same thing most the other people let there's out also. But there always nice and clean and if I get them from the neighbor they are always dirty. I don't think they pick them up enough and then they start eating them.

Wow I can't believe your well is only 18 feet deep ours is 210 feet I think.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

It's been several years since I had chickens but I totally enjoyed them and the fresh eggs. We had ours running around on 3 acres and they were all healthy and happy girls. I didn't have a rooster so never had fertilized eggs. We had one chicken that was adorable and she had nothing to do with the other chickens and really seemed to think she was a dog. She ran to greet everyone and we let her sleep inside at night when it was cold. She lived be 10 yrs old. 
When we renovated our house it was open to the outside for several weeks and we had chickens in the house every day. I would wake up to find them clucking around the bedroom and they laid eggs in the bathroom linen closet a few times. I miss them!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

congratulations....you can give them as gifts for christmas


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Donna Little said:


> It's been several years since I had chickens but I totally enjoyed them and the fresh eggs. We had ours running around on 3 acres and they were all healthy and happy girls. I didn't have a rooster so never had fertilized eggs. We had one chicken that was adorable and she had nothing to do with the other chickens and really seemed to think she was a dog. She ran to greet everyone and we let her sleep inside at night when it was cold. She lived be 10 yrs old.
> When we renovated our house it was open to the outside for several weeks and we had chickens in the house every day. I would wake up to find them clucking around the bedroom and they laid eggs in the bathroom linen closet a few times. I miss them!


I must ask how you dealt with chicken poo in the house??? Were they house trained? 

Sounds like they lived the life :thumb:


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## Huginn (Nov 21, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Once our hens start laying on a regular basis you are more than welcome to take some since we are a lot closer than 300 miles!


That would be awesome! Thank you.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> I must ask how you dealt with chicken poo in the house??? Were they house trained? Sounds like they lived the life :thumb:


No but if I could've figured out how to do that I would've written a how-to book! When we renovated the entire house was a disaster so it didn't really matter if they pooped somewhere. All the floors were just subfloors at the time. We kept all of our things in one bedroom (that wasn't having any work done) but I still slept in my bed at night. The chickens would come in through the front where a wall had been removed and would cruise around the house. They needless to say would get booted back outside when we found them in. "Fluffy" the chicken we had for 10 yrs slept in the laundry room in a dog crate so I just cleaned it out if she pooped in it. Most nights she'd keep it clean though. My neighbors Pitbull got in our fence and killed her in front of me. It was horrible. She was a precious little girl and I'd love to have another few chickens that were as sweet as she was. That won't be happening any time soon though. All the foxes need to definitely be off the property before I can even consider it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Oh I'm so sorry....she sounds like a wonderful little chicken. I'm already attached to mine and I never thought I would...I'm not a bird person at all.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh Donna, you remind me of when I was a kid and my parents had a free range duck farm. Not huge, but enough to make a living off. One day we went out and someone accidently left the back door open. We came home to hundreds of ducks (and duck crap) everywhere throughout the house. I can still remember my mother running madly around with a broom and ducks flying out the windows and doors. Its funny now.........


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Well, if you ever find yourself with too many eggs... <_< >_>, I'll happily take them off your hands, lol.


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

Hmmmmm.... (I'm wondering what the shipping cost would be to New York) :biggrin:

Just kidding. Sort of.


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

MollyWoppy said:


> Oh Donna, you remind me of when I was a kid and my parents had a free range duck farm. Not huge, but enough to make a living off. One day we went out and someone accidently left the back door open. We came home to hundreds of ducks (and duck crap) everywhere throughout the house. I can still remember my mother running madly around with a broom and ducks flying out the windows and doors. Its funny now.........


That is funny! Especially since I didn't have to deal with it.... When I was a kid I was constantly bringing something home and one day some people a street over were getting rid of 2 geese. I thought they were wonderful so I brought them home. I was about 10 or 11 yrs old at the time. They were totally amusing and were very outgoing with us and would run to greet the car when we came home. Then our neighbor across the street came and asked my mom if we could keep our geese contained because they were coming to their house and trying to peck their kids eyes out! As a kid, I really thought this was funny and told my mom to tell them to keep their kids out of their front yard. I mean clearly they were annoying my geese! Needless to say, my mom didn't see it the same way, nor did the neighbors with the eye-less kids so my geese went to a park with a big lake. Good for them, sad for me. Why are some people so unreasonable? :wink:


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## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

DaneMama said:


> Oh I'm so sorry....she sounds like a wonderful little chicken. I'm already attached to mine and I never thought I would...I'm not a bird person at all.


Thank you. She was the most fun little chicken you'd ever want to meet. I'm not a bird person either but chickens don't seem like birds to me for some reason. Maybe it's because you can let then run around and they don't fly away....


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## Malorey (Nov 11, 2011)

Once I have the land out in the country, I plan to get some Chickens. I just LOVE chickens! I'd like to rescue some hens & roosters, but I would also love to have some different breeds, more so the goofy looking ones.


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