Mid-Winter Update

The past few weeks have presented an unusually long list of challenges for us and our hens including:

• The ongoing nationwide egg shortage. Reduced availability and rising costs have more people than ever seeking alternative egg sources. We are receiving many new requests for eggs.
• Flock productivity. Our most senior hens are showing their age and producing fewer eggs. Cold temperatures also affect production. When hens use additional energy to keep warm, it often leads to fewer eggs.
• Frozen eggs. Despite collecting our eggs several times a day, very cold temperatures can cause some eggs to freeze and crack, rendering them unsellable.
• Flock numbers. Sadly, we have recently lost several hens to predation by the local hawk population.

In response, we are making adjustments:

• Temporary quantity limits. To ensure we are able to provide all of our customers with eggs, we are asking that you limit your weekly purchase to no more than 3 dozen until further notice. Hopefully, this will allow us to continue to provide eggs to everyone. We are sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
• New winter quarters. Our hens have been moved into a new winter home: a 16ʹ × 50ʹ high-tunnel greenhouse. Benefits include warmer chickens, warmer eggs, and better protection from airborne predators.
• New employees. Bird flu is making new laying hens more difficult to find. Fortunately, we will be receiving 100 “ready-to-lay” hens in April that aren’t quite ready to lay… we expect the new recruits to lay full-size, sellable eggs no later than early June.

In addition to these adjustments, we are also making a big change that will make our already high-quality eggs even better.

Non-GMO transition

Since we began, we’ve had many requests for non-GMO eggs. We believe that transitioning our hens to a non-GMO diet aligns with our goal of producing the healthiest and most humane pasture-raised eggs we can. As of February 1st, we will begin feeding our hens non-GMO grain, and when the ground has thawed and the snow has melted, they will continue to have access to pasture.

With this change comes a small increase in cost. Our price will increase 17 cents per egg to $7.00 per dozen, beginning February 8th. This modest price increase will allow us to provide the highest quality product we can.

Our Saturday-morning egg drop schedule will continue through the winter months. You will find us at the Scituate Rotary Farmers Market site (46 Institute Lane in North Scituate) on Saturdays from 10 to 11 AM.