Nature’s Yoke has a strong interest in helping small farmers to have a market for their goods. In fact, that is part of Nature’s Yoke’s mission, to help small, family farms thrive. Hence, Nature’s Yoke Pastured Eggs from small farms have become available to you.
These small farms are able to maintain small flocks of chickens in “green house” style shelters, surrounded by paddocks of grassland. These small flocks are too small for conventional style egg production. But remember, good things come in small packages. Even so, good quality can be found from small farms, maintaining small flocks in open grassy fields.
Before the sun is up, the chicken yard is active. Dew drops don’t discourage hens from a fresh morning stroll. “Out and farther out” seems to be the race.
In a few hours, there will be quite a bit of activity in the shelter as the hens go into the nests to lay their eggs. They seem to like the darker areas to place their wares for safe keeping until the farm boy or girl comes by to hand pick these golden goods from the nests. Egg-laying seems to be a happy time on the farm. At least you could conclude that from all the voices expressing happiness during the daily morning laying hours.
But the pleasant sing-song of chicken voices continues. Farther along throughout the day contentment and satisfaction can be heard. And farther from the shelter the song is carried along on scampering feet, out through the grassy fields.
Every day the chickens can run through these grasses, delighting themselves in finding their own food, naturally, among the foliage. Some hens pluck off a few blades of grass to fill their crops with green protein. Others scratch around in the grasses to see what they might find hidden there. Even some gravel is picked up and eaten since that is a natural aid for them to digest their food. With the gravel in their gizzard to assist in milling the grains, grubs and grasses can be eaten.
And all the while there is plenty of back-up nutritious feed in the shelter for any hen who might not want the morning stroll to find her own grub. But amazingly, the shelter is vacated in favor of the open outdoors! “Spring is here! And we all want to get our portion of it.”
As nightfall approaches, the hens want to find a safe, comfortable place to roost for the night. The hoop or “green house” style shelter offers that security. In it there is room for all the chickens to find a nice spot for the night. The noise continues to lessen as the well-exercised chickens quiet down for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow holds more adventures in the open meadows!
Numerous projects have been launched by large corporations to try to mimic small farm pastured eggs, but there is nothing the same as the real thing. The fact still remains -- Grass fed hens in the open outdoor sunshine in small flocks laying eggs that are hand-gathered from the nests for you just can’t be beat. Nutritious. Delicious. !!!! |
