Our Eggs
Laid with love, collected with care.
Hens who live well lay eggs that taste better – and ours are living their best lives.
They spend their days dust bathing, lazing in the sun, snacking in the garden, hunting for bugs, and clucking to their hearts’ content. All of those carefree days make for rich, flavorful eggs you’ll want to savor.
Farm Fresh Eggs
I hatched my first flock with one simple goal: to feed my family eggs laid by spoiled hens who got plenty of fresh air, sunshine, bugs, and grass. Hens who lived the natural, happy life every chicken deserves. Hens who didn’t spend their lives in tiny cages working as cogs in the egg factory and, instead, were loved dearly, have names, and are treated like individuals. Our flock isn’t a business asset – they’re family members with names and personalities who just happen to lay delicious eggs.
As often happens with chickens, my little flock grew… and grew. Before long, I had far more eggs than my family could possibly eat! What began as a way to feed us has turned into a way to share fresh, pasture-raised eggs with families across our community.
The eggs laid by our happy hens are sold in mixed-size dozens for $6. Quite a few of our girls lay big eggs (sometimes too big to fit in a carton!) and you’ll usually get a blend of large, extra-large, and jumbo sizes in every dozen.
Along with the size variety comes a rainbow of colors. About half of our hens lay eggs in beautiful shades of brown, while the rest gift us with creams, pinks, blues, greens, and every now and then, a rare purple-tinted gem. I do my best to mix up the colors so each carton feels like its own little treasure box of farm-fresh goodness.
Unwashed but Still Pretty Clean
Our eggs go straight from the nest to the carton, unwashed, to maintain peak freshness. Because they aren’t washed, you may see tiny bits of shavings or the occasional smudge of dirt — just proof that they came straight from happy hens and cozy coops. That said, I’m a bit of a clean freak when it comes to coop care, so most eggs come out of the nest looking pretty spotless. In fact, none of the eggs in the photos you see anywhere on this website have been washed. All of them are straight from the nest. If an egg does get noticeably dirty (it happens, hens don’t always wipe their feet!), it doesn’t go into a customer carton. Those eggs are washed and eaten by my own family instead.
Why sell them unwashed? Because I want your eggs to stay fresh as long as possible.
When a hen lays an egg, she coats it in a natural protective layer called the “bloom”. The bloom seals the eggshell’s pores, keeping bacteria out and moisture in – nature’s own freshness seal. Commercial eggs (the ones at the grocery store) have to be washed by law, which removes that protection. Being a small producer means I have the luxury of providing eggs as nature intended – with their bloom intact and their freshness locked in.
Experts say that your unwashed eggs can safely be kept at room temperature for up to two weeks, or refrigerated for up to three months. I like to be cautious so the “best before” date on the sticker at the end of your carton is just two months after the lay date. Your eggs will likely stay fresh for weeks longer than this if stored in the fridge but, like I said, I like to play it safe with my dates.
Unwashed eggs straight from the nest box.
We Recycle Cartons!
To keep costs down (cartons are surprisingly pricey new!) and to help the environment, we reuse egg cartons whenever possible. In order to be reused, cartons must be clean and in “like new” condition. Nobody wants to get eggs in a grubby carton!
If you’d be so kind as to return your clean, empty carton(s) with your next order, you’ll have our eternal gratitude. If you happen to know someone who saves cartons, please send them our way too. We already have several kind folks who collect for us, but there’s no such thing as too many egg cartons.
(Unless it’s molting season and everyone has quit laying!)
Safe Egg Handling
Always wash your eggs with warm water before using them. It doesn’t need to be boiling hot but it’s important to use water that is warmer than the egg. Water than is colder than the egg can push any dirt or bacteria that might be on the outside of the egg through the pores of the shell – you definitely don’t want that! Skip the soap, too: strong scents or residues can seep in through those pores and affect the flavor of your egg. A good scrub under warm running water is all they need.
If you’d like to learn more about safely handling and storing your farm-fresh eggs, check out my full post called “Safe Handling of Farm Fresh Eggs”.
What We Feed Our Flocks
Our chickens eat like royalty — because happy, healthy birds lay better eggs.
Their daily menu includes a high-quality feed made with whole grains and essential nutrients, along with whatever tasty treats they find while roaming: bugs, greens, fallen fruit, and the occasional tomato they manage to sneak from the garden. Every morning they get a few handfuls of scratch grains mixed with black oil sunflower seeds to share – a breakfast they’re always eager for.
We supplement their diet with kitchen and garden scraps, edible weeds, herbs, and natural calcium sources like crushed oyster shell grit. During the growing season they enjoy produce from a dedicated “chicken garden” planted just for them. Tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and various greens are easy to grow and very much appreciated. In winter, when bugs and greens are scarce, they get extra protein, and I’ve been experimenting with growing fodder and greens indoors to keep them snacking happily through the cold months.
We avoid routine antibiotics and medications for our birds. Instead, we focus on prevention – keeping coops clean, offering fresh water daily, and using natural remedies to support their immune systems. If a chicken ever needs medical care, they get it, but we don’t medicate the entire flock as a standard practice.
If a hen ever needs medicine, her eggs take a little vacation from the customer cartons until the withdrawal period is over – that’s how long it takes for the medication to fully clear her system. Sometimes the patient gets her own recovery suite (aka the hospital coop) but, even when she’s with the flock, I know exactly whose egg is whose. Yes, I really do pay that much attention.
How To Get Your Own Farm Fresh Goodness
Our eggs are available for pickup year-round right here at the homestead.
When the hens are laying steadily (usually April through October), I also offer a weekly parking lot pickup in New Minas on Saturday mornings.
To order your next (or first!) dozen, just call or text me with how many you’d like and when you’d like to pick them up. I’ll confirm your order and time, and then you can pop by to grab your eggs – easy!
If you’d prefer to pick up in New Minas during the warmer months, please mention that when you order. Orders for New Minas pickup must be in by 7 PM on the Friday before.
Please Watch For Our Animals
When you come to pick up your order, please keep an eye out for our free-ranging chickens and geese! There are almost always birds wandering about, and you’ll likely be greeted by our two geese, Baxter and Sam, who come running (and honking) to say hello. They’re friendly, don’t worry, they’re just enthusiastic (and also very loud).