Liz's Smallholding Diary - Free range means more eggs? (From Smallholder)

Liz's Smallholding Diary - Free range means more eggs?

12:20pm Tuesday 4th September 2012 in News

 

 

My two year old hybrid layers are still producing three eggs between five of them on a daily basis (and more at the beginning of the year) which I find quite a decent amount.   But I have noticed this drops down on the days I have to keep them confined to their (quite spacious) run.  We do have a bit of a fox problem so I let them out when we are working round the yard which is most of the weekend and in the evenings on weekdays.  If I have to go out in the evening and they can’t go out I do notice a drop in eggs.  They are fed on 16% protein pellets,  scratch feed of wheat in the evening,  veg scraps from the garden and often have a vitamin supplement but nothing seems to work as well for egg yield as going out and scratching around. 
I haven’t had to buy eggs for years – in fact I am quite grateful for the winter when we get a few less and I don’t have to think of a 101 ways with eggs.  The bantams have done rather well lately so it is going to be a huge omelette tonight and I am wondering if a piece of rather too blue Stilton could be used instead of the not quite so blue normal cheese!   We’ll find out later on – another adventure in culinary ‘how to use up left overs’.   Add tomatoes and spinach from the garden and a few glasses of wine before hand and I feel sure it will be delicious.