All About Eggs!

If you have ever purchased eggs from our Ranch, then you know that we have a variety of colors! Our egg colors range from light brown, green, blue, white, and dark brown. These different colors are a result of different kinds of chickens! I have a large variety of chickens from the most popular “Golden Buff” to the more rare “Speckled Sussex”, each chicken lays their own color of egg.

A common question I get is: “why does egg production slow down in the winter?” A chicken needs around 14 hours of light to produce an egg. In the fall and winter, our daylight hours are shorter, so egg production slows down. Some chickens will continue to lay eggs, even on short days, but I receive around half the amount of eggs in the winter as I do in the summer. Winter is a chicken’s natural time to rest from a productive year. So you may find that I am often sold out of eggs, especially through the winter, but just know that I am letting my girls have some much deserved rest!

I collect eggs daily to be washed, and packed into cartons, and stored in the refrigerator. Eggs do have a natural "bloom" that protects them from bacteria and would allow for them to be stored at room temperature for up to a couple weeks, if the eggs are unwashed. However, the county health department requires that I wash and refrigerate my eggs for resale. The eggs you buy from the Ranch are less than a week old, and can last up to two months in the refrigerator. The richness of these fresh eggs is unbeatable, the yolks have a vibrant orange color that occurs from all the yummy things chickens find to eat while free ranging like bugs and grass. You cannot get eggs that fresh or tasty in the grocery store!