We bought/received eggs from you- now what?

First off, Congratulations! You'll be eating eggs that came from happy chickens!

Our chickens are fed Layer Crumbles on a free choice basis. Free choice means that food is always available to them. The layer crumbles we use come from a local feedstore, Orschelns. The crumbles are 16% protein. See below for complete listing of ingredients.

Our chickens also have black oil sunflower seeds available to them. This is added protein, but also helps 'lubricate' the hens when they are laying eggs.

We also feed them oyster shell, which helps give their eggs a strong shell.

Our chickens free range throughout the day. I usually let them out before I leave for work, usually around 6:45am, and they eat bugs and grass from around the yard all day. This helps cut back on feed costs, but also ensures that they're getting a good, diverse diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.) I'm trying to boil the eggs but they won't peel AT ALL. Any advice?

       A: The eggs aren't peeling very well because they are fresh. I have found a little trick that helps when boiling fresh eggs. When you boil the water for the eggs, add a small amount of salt. Then, as you're adding the eggs to the water, take a small pin (or a tack works great) and poke a hole in the shell. This is hard to do correctly because you can't break the membrane that surrounds the egg. All you want to do is barely break through the shell. You'll know if you did it correctly if the egg boils out of the hole or not. (If it doesn't, that means it was done correctly) If you do break too far in the shell, the eggs are still edible, but may not be as easy to peel.

2.) There's chicken 'stuff' all over my eggs! Gross! Why do you not wash your eggs?

       A: We do not wash our eggs because washing them takes off the protective outer coating. This coating helps keep your eggs fresher longer. The 'stuff' on the eggs just ensures that they are farm fresh!

3.) I cracked an egg and there were TWO yolks inside! What does that do to my recipe?

     A. The general rule of thumb is to count the egg as 1. A double-yolker may actually add more flavor to your recipe since the yolk is where the good stuff is!

4.) I cracked my egg and there was blood inside! What happened?

     A. Our chickens are relatively new layers and are still trying to work the kinks out. Sometimes while their bodies are producing an egg, they may strain too much and a small amount of blood will get in the egg. This is completely harmless and isn't dangerous to eat, but we usually just throw these eggs away. Don't let it scare you, it's all part of the growing up process for the chickens!

Have a question or comment? Tell us! E-mail thoughts to jandjacres@msn.com .

Orscheln 16% Layer Crumbles Ingredients:

Grain products, plant protein products, processed grain by-products, vitamin A supplement, Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement, Riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, thiamine, biotin, calcium carbonate, salt, manganous oxide, mangonous sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper chloride, copper sulfate, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, ethylene-diamine dihydriodide, sodium selenite, mineral oil.