One of my first chickens, an Easter Egger named Hawkeye, would begin laying right after the Winter Solstice. For about 4 years, I could count on a sweet bluish green egg just before Christmas Day. A single egg is almost purposeless, what can you do but fry it in butter and throw it on a piece of toast?
When I started raising ducks, I had no idea what to expect. Since they are encased in a down comforter, it makes complete sense that their egg laying corresponds with temperature. Usually my ducks start in late February, a few at a time, and then it builds through June, where I'm inundated with at least a dozen duck eggs daily. If I can prevent ducks from building and sitting on nests, I can count on their eggs through most of August. Once the days meld into a string of hot, dry, dusty, the ducks can't do it anymore, they stop laying and immediately explode into their molt.
This year, we tried. The ducks started laying in early February. First hint that it would be a short year. Ducks collectively have about one brain cell, but they do sense weather better than any animal I've seen. By the start of July I could tell the end was near, matching the intensity of the early heat waves. By the third week of July my backyard was looking like the insides of a feather pillow.
My chickens have been sputtering. Heat is too hard on everybody, and especially if you are laying eggs. Why would you lay an egg when you have to spend a lot of your energy staying cool? In addition, chickens are very sensitive to what the ducks are doing. The moodiness and bickering that goes on in the spring as the female ducks claim their spaces is a total turn off for the chickens, and they'll end up finding spots as far as possible away from the ducks to lay their eggs. Then when the molting starts, I think the hens feel their itchiness and discomfort and just stop laying for a while.
Last week I went to visit my daughter in Eugene and we went to the Saturday Market. I was relieved to see how many vendors who normally sell eggs be almost completely out of eggs. The prices per dozen were much higher than I expected, but understandable given the reduction of the production. The only vendor I spoke with who was doing fine was a farmer who had a flock of 1000 and had the budget to keep their flock stable and protected from the heat. Most small poultry farmers can't do that.
This year I added more quail to my flock, and their climates are easier to control since their housing is pretty moveable. I'm going to be pickling most of the eggs for my Holiday Bazaar tables.
Currently the chickens have picked up a bit again. The cooler weather has encouraged them to give one last push, pun intended. Thanks to everyone for your support this year. We will still have some chicken eggs from time to time, and soon you'll see some new items for Holiday Sales. For the most part, please support any local poultry farmers who sell eggs in the winter and who practice with a humane, bird-focused intention. Enjoy the end of your summers and we truly are lucky to live in such a beautiful neck of the woods.
Related Posts
