Egg Count – Nest Cafe ~ Cafe Nido

Fall Eggies: Aug, Sept Oct 2024

Published on November 26, 2023November 25, 2023 by gurrumichuLeave a comment

Last night (just after Thanksgiving) there was a solid frost blanketing the grass and tree branches. I broke up a top crust of ice in the hens’ water bowls. The hens are going to roost with the sunset around 4:40pm and rise at 7am, so they are sleeping well over 12 hours. These are the signs of late fall and winter.

Here is the egg count for the year thus far:

Month (2023)	Laying Hens	Eggs per Day (avg)	Eggs per Week	Dozens per Week	Eggs per Month	Dozens per Month	Feed Cost	Cost per Dozen
Oct	5.25	4.0	29	2.4	125	10	$ 30	$ 2.85
Sep	6	4.6	33	2.8	137	11	$ 30	$ 2.60
Aug	7	5.6	41	3.4	175	15	$ 30	$ 2.04
July	7	5.8	42	3.5	179	15	$ 30	$ 1.99
June	7	6.2	45	3.7	186	15	$ 30	$ 1.92
May	7.25	6.2	45	3.7	192	16	$ 30	$ 1.86
April	7.25	5.8	42	3.5	173	14	$ 30	$ 2.06
March	7.5	4.5	32	2.7	138	12	$ 30	$ 2.58
Feb	5	3.8	28	2.3	107	9	$ 30	$ 3.33
Jan	3.5	2.7	19	1.6	83	7	$ 30	$ 4.30

The “Laying Hens” count is now corrected, which I forgot to do in previous posts. 3 hens have been molting this fall: Waffles, Shaki and Tots. I’m surprised Tots is molting at just one year old, which I realized when she became unusually skittish to the touch and started losing head and tail feathers. The partial hen counts mean that a hen stopped laying (started molting or Nuggo’s henopause) for part of a month.

There is a noticeable decline in egg laying. I now sometimes buy eggs to supplement. I always thought that my hens’ eggs were on the smaller-side compared to large supermarket eggs, but pleasantly found ours to be as big or bigger than large eggs by weight.

I am also perplexed why the 2 year old hens (Brownie, Blanqui, Ramsey) haven’t noticeably molted nor paused laying eggs. Are some barnyard mixes or hybrid varieties capable of not molting?

It’s reassuring that even though our winter egg count is low, the cost per dozen still beats the price of organic-fed, cage-free eggs at Costco or supermarkets. I believe our hens live out better qualities of life than those from best eggs at a premium grocer because their beaks are never trimmed, they can forage bugs (so many worms in the rainy season!), enjoy organic garden veggies, fruits, and grass, and have a large area per bird to roam around. The most comparable brand I have encountered so far are Wilcox Farms pasture-raised eggs (by taste) and Vital Farms Organic Pasture Raised Eggs, but my babies’ eggs have the plus that they don’t require any trucking or logistical delivery to our kitchen.

I want to raise chickens forever!
– Korean Chicken Tender

June & July Egg Eggies – Heat, harmony, & 6 a day!

Published on August 14, 2023November 25, 2023 by gurrumichuLeave a comment

It’s mid-August and the first heat wave has struck Seattle this summer. The highs are near 90 degrees and my back porch thermometer reported 96 degrees due to a greenhouse effect from the semi-transparent porch roof.

When it’s hot like this, with highs above 80 degrees, I check outside every hour or two to observe how the chickens are coping. They hold their wings apart from their body, pant, hang out in the shade in the north side of the house, eat less grain, and need their water bowls refilled twice dailyi. I give them kale and outer cabbage leaves in the evenings because their appetite for salad spikes. The older hens (las reinas) tolerate the heat best, while the youngest ones (las angelitas) pant and show signs of distress the most. Each year they learn to cope better.

I am grateful for these hens and the bounty of eggs they lay for us. Here’s the egg count for June, July and other months thus far:

Month (2023)	Laying Hens	Eggs per Day (avg)	Eggs per Week	Dozens per Week	Eggs per Month	Dozens per Month	Feed Cost	Cost per Dozen
July	8	5.8	42	3.5	179	15	$ 30	$ 1.99
June	8	6.2	45	3.7	186	15	$ 30	$ 1.92
May	8	6.2	45	3.7	192	16	$ 30	$ 1.86
April	8	5.8	42	3.5	173	14	$ 30	$ 2.06
March	6	4.5	32	2.7	138	12	$ 30	$ 2.58
Feb	6	3.8	28	2.3	107	9	$ 30	$ 3.33
Jan	6	2.7	19	1.6	83	7	$ 30	$ 4.30

Observations:

May was the peak of egg productivity with 192 eggs that month, costing $1.86 a dozen (organic, pasture-raised).
June is close behind with 186 eggs at $1.92 a dozen. It’s downhill from here due to the shortening daylight!
Longer daylight and sunny days induce egg laying, not warm temperatures.
Now, in early August, the sun rises about 2 minutes later and sets about 2 minutes earlier each day. I expect greater decreases in eggs for the remainder of the year.
Brownie and the two youngest hens (Misty and Tots) are finally living in harmony! After many months of Brownie spontaneously puffing up her feathers and terrorizing las angelitas, they now share moments of dust bathing and pecking at grass seeds within a few feet of each other. It’s wonderful to see your children getting along after months of bullying and fighting. Brownie was the lowest on the pecking order (Rank # 6), so I suspect she wants to make it clear to the newcomers she will not be outranked.
Tots glucks in fear every time Brownie gets near, which instigates anger and a peck attack. She has been getting better about staying calm and not becoming an easy target.
Tots and Misty still appear to be in equal rank, but occasionally they challenge each other and puff out their hackles (collar feathers).
Hens abhor equality, so Tots and Misty will likely have a fight and set their positions for Number 7 and 8 in the pecking order — they cannot both stay tied for 7th. It’s only a matter of time.

April & May Eggs – $2 a dozen!

Published on June 11, 2023November 25, 2023 by gurrumichuLeave a comment

The days are getting long now as we near summer solstice. There’s still light in the sky at 9pm! The hens rise around 5am and go to roost around 8:45pm. It intrigues me how they are used to such variable sleep over the year, because in the winter they rise around 7am and roost at 5pm (over 12 hours of sleep!) vs around 8 hours in the summer. This post’s photo features the 2 new layers, Tots (golden cheeks) and Misty (grey).

Here is Korean Chicken Tender’s April and May egg counts!

Month (2023)	Laying Hens	Eggs per Day (avg)	Eggs per Week	Dozens per Week	Eggs per Month	Dozens per Month	Feed Cost	Cost per Dozen
May	8	6.2	45	3.7	192	16	$ 30	$ 1.86
April	8	5.8	42	3.5	173	14	$ 30	$ 2.06
March	6	4.5	32	2.7	138	12	$ 30	$ 2.58
Feb	6	3.8	28	2.3	107	9	$ 30	$ 3.33
Jan	6	2.7	19	1.6	83	7	$ 30	$ 4.30

The cost per dozen has gone down because there are 2 new laying hens, all hens are laying almost daily, elder Nuggo occasionally left henopause, and we’ve been able to stretch a bag of organic feed for longer thanks to a Treadle Feeder.

I have been very satisfied our RentACoop Treadle Feeder which has saved me lots of time and feed. My feed costs continue to be the same going from 6 to 8 layer hens because wild birds don’t eat from the feeder. I refill the feeder about once a week now. It’s more frequent in the longer summer days because the hens are awake and active for more hours. Back in February, it was once every 2-3 weeks. One feeder is sufficient for all 8 hens, and this is much more convenient than the conventional feeder I used to refill every 2 days. The feeders are expensive but very much worth it. After patient searching, I found a new open box feeder on Marketplace for about $80 instead of the retail $145.

Thank you dear hens for providing delicious, nutritious organic pasture-raised eggs for under $2 a dozen! Me and my husband do eat all these eggs. They have become a staple in our diet!

March Egg Count

Published on April 9, 2023November 25, 2023 by gurrumichuLeave a comment

It’s time for Korean Chicken Tender’s March 2023 egg count!

The daylight has gotten longer and there’s been an uptick in egg laying. My number 1 ranked hen, Nuggo, emerged from her summer-fall-winter-long henopause and started laying her trademark asymmetrical, lopsided eggs. This heavyset alpha female’s eggs are a treat with their rich yolks and fragile cream-colored shells.

Same as in my last egg count, I currently raise 6 layer hens. They eat organic feed and garden greens, range freely on pasture, and slurp up tasty slugs seeking solace from the spring rains.

Here’s our monthly Egg Count thus far for 2023:

Month (2023)	Laying Hens	Eggs per Day (avg)	Eggs per Week	Dozens per Week	Eggs per Month	Dozens per Month	Feed Cost	Cost per Dozen
Jan	6	2.7	19.4	1.6	83	6.9	$ 30.00	$ 4.30
Feb	6	3.8	27.7	2.3	107	8.9	$ 30.00	$ 3.33
Mar	6	4.5	32.2	2.7	138	11.5	$ 30.00	$ 2.58

Observations:

– The cost per dozen of our organic, pasture-raised eggs dropped from over $4 in Jan to $3 in Feb to now $2.58 in March!
– Hubba hubba Nuggo resumed laying, which increased the egg count.
– When I didn’t see Nuggo roaming around with the other hens one morning, I thought she had died standing erect on her roost bar. (When the time comes, I believe she will die no less a noble death). I was shocked to discover her in a nest box. That day she did a full egg laying simulation with no actual egg. The egg appeared a few days later.

Bottom left is Nuggo’s cream-white egg – note the calcium deposit, pointed tip, and lopsided-ness compared to the other eggs. It is nonetheless a treat to eat!

Jan & Feb Egg Count

Published on March 7, 2023November 25, 2023 by gurrumichu2 Comments

As a Chicken Tender, I raise some of the happiest chickens on the planet.
And as an analytical data tender, I like to track how many eggs have been laid and by whom.

People ask me how many eggs I collect in a week, and I’m a nut about calculating costs too. So I will share monthly updates on how many eggs were gathered and the average cost per dozen. Figuring out these numbers is satisfying. It’ll be interesting to see how the egg count and cost per dozen changes as we approach June where the longer daylight results in more egg laying, and then tapers down as we approach winter solstice.

I currently raise 6 layer hens. They eat organic chicken feed and garden greens, range freely, and slurp up tasty worms like noodles.

Here’s our monthly Egg Count for January and February 2023:

Month (2023)	Laying Hens	Eggs per Day (avg)	Eggs per Week	Dozens per Week	Eggs per Month	Dozens per Month	Feed Cost	Cost per Dozen
Jan	6	2.7	19.4	1.6	83	6.9	$ 30.00	$ 4.30
Feb	6	3.8	27.7	2.3	107	8.9	$ 30.00	$ 3.33

Observations:

– Two of the reinas (2+ year old hens) resumed laying when they finished their winter molt (feather shedding and regrowth) in late Jan and early Feb. This increased the Feb egg count.
– The three bebitas (1 year old hens) laid daily last summer, but this tapered down to a rate of 0.8 per hen (or 4 eggs every 5 days) in January. This is to be expected due to short daylight.