Welcome to The Hearty Hen House
Hobby Farming at its finest!
Most chicken farmers know that as winter approaches, egg laying decreases. But there are also other times during the year that we might see a fluctuation in egg production and wonder what is going on? Let’s explore some of the things that can affect a hen’s egg production.
I often read comments from people indicating some confusion in understanding the difference between chicken grit and oyster shell. Oyster shell and grit are two different products that accomplish two different things, and they are NOT interchangeable. Let’s take a look at the two products and their purposes.
The egg is indeed incredible. Did you know that after an egg has been fertilized and laid, it can remain in a state of suspension so to speak, until the hen is satisfied with the size of her clutch? Then she will stop laying eggs and begin incubating all of the eggs she has collected so that they will hatch at approximately the same time. I think that is pretty cool!
It seems like lately, having hens that lay colorful eggs is all the craze. And it is fun to see a bowl or carton filled with eggs that range in color from white to various shades of brown, greens, blues, and even pinks. Dare I say that finding a white egg outside of a grocery store is becoming the anomaly! There is nothing wrong with raising chickens simply for their colorful eggs. Different breeds of chickens are being developed to accommodate the desire for varied egg colors. So let’s explore colorful egg layers.
The answer to that question is a resounding YES! Eggs are an excellent source of protein and make a great treat for chickens. The egg white contains more than half of the egg’s protein and none of the fat. The yolk contains all of the fat and most of the egg’s vitamins. In fact the egg yolk is one of the few foods which naturally contains vitamin D. Eggs are not fortified with vitamin D as is milk and some brands of yogurt and orange juice. The egg is also considered a complete protein food because it has all of the essential amino acids, and it’s tasty. So, yes, it’s not only o.k. to feed eggs to your chickens, but eggs are a healthy supplement which your birds will thoroughly enjoy!
Fermenting animal feed is not really a new thing. Come to find out, farmers have been fermenting feed for a lot of years. It seems like recently though, fermenting feed has been gaining popularity, probably due to the the increased number of urban chicken farmers and hobby farmers. I have had chickens and goats for a long time, and I think I must be one of the last chicken farmers to hop on the feed fermenting wagon. I am not one to do things just because everybody else does them. I probably should have done my fermenting research years ago, but, I guess that life got in the way. My husband would likely tell you that the chickens eat better than he does anyway, so why mess with a good thing. The last few months have been filled with “ahah” moments, and understanding the practice and benefits of fermentation has been one of those. I am just beginning the feed fermentation practice with all my animals, not just chickens, and I don’t have all of the final results in, like who finds it tasty and who doesn’t and how much money I will save, but I would like to share some of the things that I have learned.
All grains, seeds and legumes contain phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. These protect the grains and seeds, and act kind of like preservatives. That is why grains, like wheat, have a long storage life and why seeds stay viable in the dirt through the winter until conditions are good for growing. Phytic acid is referred to as an anti-nutrient because it inhibits the absorption of iron, zinc and calcium. It only inhibits the absorption of these nutrients during the meal that phytic acid is being consumed. If you eat a food containing phytic acid during lunch, than it will inhibit the absorption of specific nutrients only during that meal. It will not affect future meals where foods with phytic acid are not consumed. In some countries where grains and legumes are eaten frequently, cases of malnutrition can occur. People who eat well-balanced meals are generally not affected. But, if our animals eat grains, seeds and legumes at every meal, it leaves me to wonder just how their diets and especially their nutritional needs are being impacted.
Avoiding foods that contain phytic acid is not necessarily the right thing to do as these foods offer a variety of valuable nutrients, and it is thought that phytic acid might actually be beneficial as a protection against kidney stones and some cancers. Fortunately, there are methods of preparation that will reduce the phytic acid in grains, seeds and legumes. Soaking these foods in water overnight will reduce their phytate content. Sprouting grains, seeds and legumes will further degrade it’s content, and fermentation is the third option for reducing phytic acid. Using a combination of all three methods can significantly reduce the phytate content of grains, seeds and legumes. I hope that wasn’t too confusing. In a nut shell, phytic acid does offer nutritional benefits and should be consumed, but if eaten every day at every meal, it can negatively affect the absorption of other important nutrients.
I presently sprout lentils, a legume, for my birds. I know that they love them and I did it initially as an inexpensive way provide my hens with greens during the winter months. I knew that they had added health benefits, but I didn’t exactly understand how. Now that I have a basic understanding of the workings of phytic acid, the benefits of sprouting makes a little more sense.
Fermentation takes the nutritional benefits of sprouting one step further. Fermented feed aids in digestion, strengthens the immune system, improves food conversion, increases the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals, forms kind of a natural barrier to pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, and has been known to increase egg weight. In addition, because fermented food is easier to digest and nutrients are absorbed more readily, animals do not have to eat as much and as such, they poop less too!
How does fermenting work? Fermentation is a chemical process by which molecules are broken down without air. The fermentation process begins by taking your grains, seeds and/or legumes and covering them with water. They will expand as they absorb the water, general doubling in size. Lactobacillus, a good bacteria is what actually starts the fermenting by consuming the sugars making lactic acid. The lactic acid creates an environment that is inhospitable to bad bacteria. It’s kind of the same principle that works with sourdough starter, if you have ever worked with that. As long as your grains are submerged in the water, they will be preserved and won’t spoil or mold. The fermentation process can take 24 to 72 hours depending on the temperature of the environment you are fermenting in. You can let your feed ferment longer, but the sour taste will get stronger the longer it ferments. You can tell that the process is working when you see bubbles forming, a sign of gasses being released, and by a slight sour smell, again a process similar to that which takes place with sourdough starter.
I tested out the fermenting process on a small scale, I didn’t want to ruin a lot of feed if I goofed. I filled a quart jar halfway full of dry feed mix and then filled it full of tap water. I covered it loosely and let it sit. Pretty simple. (You can make your batch as large or as small as will work for you and your animals.) The feed absorbed the water quickly and expanded. Within about 12 hours I noticed bubbles forming. I checked on the mix occasionally throughout the process to make sure the grains remained submerged. The sunflower seeds in my mix rose to the top and floated, so I will probably add them in at the end of the fermentation process in future batches, just to prevent the chance of any spoilage. After 72 hours, my mix had some good bubbles, and a slight sour smell. The first batch I fed to the chickens and they gobbled it right up. It was a small sampling, so they also had their dry mix. With some hens, the fermented feed seemed to be their first choice, while others, they enjoyed their dry mix and then sampled the fermented feed. In any case, it didn’t stay around long. The second batch I tried out on the ducks. They weren’t quite as excited about it, but ended up eating it all. Because it’s kind of soupy, I thought the ducks would love it! I read where some farmers drained most of the water off their fermented feed to obtain a drier texture, but I figure if the grains are good for my animals, then why wouldn’t the water be good as well. It all depends on what my animals like and will eat. You can also add some of the fermented water to future batches of grain to jump start the fermenting process.
I also decided that if eating fermented food was good for people and chickens, why not the rest of the farm animals. So, today I started three different batches of fermenting feed: one for the chickens and ducks, one for the goats and one for the rabbits. (Note: for the rabbits, I am fermenting grains, not processed rabbit food pellets.) I am anxious to see if the health benefits are readily noticeable, and to see if cost savings are evident. With the cost of everything increasing, it would be nice to be able to provide my animals with a healthier diet for less money!
Resources:
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Biological_Chemistry/Supplemental_Modules_(Biological_Chemistry)/Metabolism/Catabolism/Fermentation
https://naturalfactors.com/en-us/articles/fermented-foods-for-better-nutrition/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/phytic-acid-101#section5
https://permaculturenews.org
http:// https://www.gardenbetty.com/why-and-how-to-ferment-your-chicken-feed/
http:// https://homesteadingfamily.com/raising-healthy-chickens-make-your-own-fermented-chicken-feed-in-6-easy-steps/
I enjoy Easter, for many reasons, one being family traditions. It’s a time to gather as families and enjoy good food, and fun activities…like coloring Easter Eggs! I remember when I was a little girl we spent one Easter at my grandma’s home. We colored eggs, the old-fashioned way. My grandma must have had a ton of onions stored in her basement. She collected the dried, brown onion skins which we wrapped around uncooked eggs. We tied thread around them to hold the skins in place and then hard-boiled the eggs in a pan of water on the stove. The result was beautiful yellow eggs with brown marbling. The most memorable part was just spending time with my grandma. Coloring Easter Eggs with my kids was always a fun time, albeit a little messy maybe, but a time filled with laughs and giggles and ah’s as they created some awesome design on an egg. We experimented with different store bought and homemade coloring kits. A favorite was always drawing pictures or writing names on the eggs with a wax crayon before dipping them in the egg dye. The wax repels the coloring and your drawing shows up easily on the colored egg.
I would like to share three easy, home-grown methods of coloring eggs. I can’t take credit for coming up with the ideas, but I have tried them and they were fun, easy, inexpensive and I was pleased with the results. Start with white or light colored hard-boiled egg. To make peeling easy with even the freshest of eggs, I hard-boil my eggs in the pressure cooker on high for 9 minutes, then quick release and run eggs under cold water.
Technique #1) Dump 1/4 cup of rice into a zip lock bag. Add 15 – 20 drops of liquid food coloring and mix. Put a hard-boiled egg into the bag, zip it shut and gently toss your egg. This seems like it would be a good one for young kids, and not real messy. Once desired results are achieved, remove the egg from the bag, set it on a paper towel for a few minutes to dry, then wipe of any excess rice. The result is a kind of fun textured pattern on your egg. You might have to add additional food coloring if you do more than just a few eggs, but they dry quickly and then you just toss the ziploc in the garbage. Not a lot of dirty cups to wash.
Technique #2) This is a variation of the shaving cream, food coloring tie-dye effect. Spread some whipped cream on a cookie sheet and add some drops of food coloring.
Swirl it gently with a fork. Don’t mix too much or the colors will combine and you will end up with muddy colors.
Roll your eggs through the colors and then set on a paper towel to dry. I let mine dry for about 1/2 hour, then rinsed off the whipped cream. The result was beautiful, pastel, tie-dyed eggshells.
Technique #3) Onion skin dyed eggs. Wrap a raw egg in the outer layer of onion skins and secure with thread or twine. Place in a pan on a stove and boil for 20 minutes or until hard-boiled. Place in cool water and remove onion skins.
I had a purple onion and a brown onion. The result for both was yellow colored eggs. The brown onion had brown marbling and the purple onion skin had some blue marbling.
I know that some chicken owners are lucky and have hens that do all the egg coloring for them, but for those of us who don’t, I hope that you give some of these fun egg coloring techniques a try. Let me know of any fun egg coloring techniques that are a tradition in your family. Above all, have an enjoyable holiday with family and friends!
I am always interested in learning new things and figure that knowledge is the key to…well a lot of things…success, understanding, accomplishing goals, being better equipped to care for my animals. The list can go on. As long as I have been raising chickens, I did not know the entire process of egg formation, so I set out to learn. And learn I did…some very interesting facts, which I’m going to share with you.
A female chicken is born, or should I say hatched, with a fully formed, functioning ovary that contains several thousand tiny ova. Two ovaries develop in the chicken embryo, but the right one stops developing and only the left ovary and oviduct mature. The chick grows and somewhere around 6 months of age she begins to reach sexual maturity. That’s when these tiny ova start to develop into yolks, a few at a time. Once a yolk is developed, it is released from the ovary into the oviduct. Occasionally two yolks will be released at the same time. This results in the double yolk eggs we see from time to time in our frying pans. This is also the stage where a blood spot on the yolk might occur, not due to fertilization, just an accident of nature as the yolk is released from the ovary. Once the yolk enters the oviduct, the egg can be fertilized if a rooster has mated with the hen. The hen can store sperm from the rooster for upwards of two to three weeks. After fertilization, a membrane is put around the yolk to basically hold it together. The yolk then passes into the a part of the oviduct called the magnum where the albumen or egg white is put on. Then on to the isthmus where a thin membrane is added, surrounding the entire egg. The final process is when the egg enters the uterus and the outer shell, shell color and the protective coating called bloom are deposited over the egg. This final process of shell making takes about 20 hours. When this is completed, the hen will lay her egg.
Some interesting facts about eggs and egg laying:
Sources:
https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/c/color/
https://the-chicken-chick.com/hatch-along-with-chicken-chick-part-3/
https://extension.psu.edu/hen-reproduction