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7 Chickens to Raise for Colorful Eggs

When it comes to chicken eggs, white is not a color. Blue is, and green, rose and olive—not to mention eggs so chocolaty-brown you expect them to be filled with caramel. Adding colored-egg layer chickens to your hobby farm’s flock can lend a bit of magic to egg-gathering and bring buyers flocking to your market table.

When choosing chicken breeds to raise, it helps to know that chickens fall into two basic body types. Type-A birds put most of their nutritional intake into egg production. While this makes them prolific egg layers, they tend to be leaner and more nervous than type-B birds. Type Bs are dual-purpose chickens with calm, easy-going temperaments. They lay eggs, but because they convert more of their food into bodyweight, they don’t produce as many per week as their type-A counterparts.

If you’re looking to add color to your egg selection, here are some breeds to consider.

1. Araucanas
If a chicken lays blue eggs, it’s safe to assume they have Araucana in their genetics. The breed is reputed to have originated in Chile, though its origin is still unclear. What is clear is that Araucanas are rumpless (without a tail head), are often tufted (tufts of feathers hang by fine, elastic skin threads on each side of the head) and lay blue eggs. "A true Araucana is always rumpless,” says Lanae Cash, who breeds, shows and sells Araucanas, at Cash’s Blue Eggs. "They are not always tufted, but rumpless is a must.” These chickens are body type B. "The Araucana is a very self-assured bird with a mild temperament,” Cash adds.

2. Ameraucanas
Hatcheries might advertise Araucanas for sale, but beware: If the birds have tails, they are not Araucanas. However, they might be Ameraucanas. "Ameraucanas are less rare than Araucanas, and hatcheries do sell true Ameraucanas,” says Traci Torres, co-author of My Pet Chicken Handbook (Rodale, 2014) and founder of MyPetChicken.com. Careful breeding of Araucanas with other breeds produces certain feather patterns. "There is a wild variety of colors, and each will have a different parentage,” Torres says. "Ameraucanas are easygoing birds, and they should all lay a blue egg.” With Araucana genetics, they tend toward body and temperament type B.

3. Easter Eggers
Note the spelling of Ameraucana. "If a hatchery is selling chicks under the label of Araucana/Americana, what it really is is an Easter Egger,” Torres says. "There’s no breed standard. An Easter Egger is literally just a mutt, but they’re fabulous birds.” Friendly, smart, cold- and heat-hardy, they lay well in the winter, with eggs that range in color from blue, green, rose or brown to sage, olive or cream. "Their eggs tend to be ginormous,” Torres says. "Much more a type B, they’re not a huge bird, but they’re just an all-around wonderful pet, and of course, everyone loves the egg colors.”

4. Cream Legbar
Another blue-egg layer is the Cream Legbar, developed in Great Britain by crossing Barred Plymouth Rocks, Golden Leghorns and Araucanas. Leghorn genetics introduce type-A body and temperament traits. "People are all about the Cream Legbar,” Torres says. "They’re not flighty, but they’re active, and they make fabulous foragers.”

5. Marans
Common brown eggs pale in comparison to the deep-brown eggs laid by the French breed, Marans. Marans are calm, easygoing birds of medium size and type-B build. According to Debi Stuhr, who breeds and sells Black Copper Marans at Heaven Sent Ranch, "Marans also come in a blue, blue copper, splash, solid black, wheaten, and a couple other colors still being developed.”

According to Torres, "Black Copper Marans are the friendly chickens with the feathered feet that lay the ­really dark chocolate-brown eggs.” Brown eggs are ­graded on a scale of zero to nine, zero being white, and nine a deep, dark brown. Stuhr says, "You want your Marans egg color to be five to nine,” Stuhr says. "A Marans is not a true Marans unless it lays at least a four or five.”

6. Welsummer
Lissa Lucas, head writer and ­marketing communications specialist at MyPetChicken.com and co-author of My Pet Chicken Handbook, lists the Welsummer as her pick for best all-around chicken. With a type-B build, Welsummers are great foragers that lay large chocolate-brown eggs with darker speckles and do well in both heat and cold. Lucas considers these friendly, intelligent brown-egg layers among the sweetest-­tempered birds in her flock.

7. Penedesenca
Penedesencas originated in Spain and are noted for laying some of the darkest brown eggs of any breeds. "Their eggs are beautiful,” Torres says. "A dark, dark, reddish brown.” Being of type-A body build, Penedesencas are alert and wary of their surroundings. "Though they won’t be the first ones to approach you, if you go out every day and give them treats, and you don’t move too quickly, they will become more docile,” Torres says. Penedesencas have what is called a "king’s comb,” also called a cresta en clavell or carnation comb, which begins as a single lobe at the front, parting into several lobes in the back.

Dill: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting

Dill is an annual, self-seeding plant with feathery green leaves. It is used most commonly in soups, stews, and for pickling. Dill is easy to grow and attracts beneficial insects to your garden, such as wasps and other predatory insects.

Planting
Sow dill seeds about 1/4-inch deep and 18 inches apart in rich soil, then gently rake the seeds into the soil. The soil should be around 60 to 70ºF for best results.
Dill does not grow well when transplanted, so start the seeds fresh in the garden in early summer. Make sure to shelter the plants from strong winds.
After 10 to 14 days, the plants should appear in the soil. Wait another 10 to 14 days, then thin the plants to about 12 to 18 inches apart.
In your garden, plant dill next to cabbage or onions, but keep the dill away from carrots.

Care
Water the plants freely during the growing season.
In order to ensure a season-long fresh supply of dill, continue sowing seeds every few weeks. For an extended harvest, do not allow flowers to grow on the plants.
If the soil remains undisturbed throughout the growing season, more dill plants will grow the next season.

Pests
Leaf spot and occasionally a few other types of fungal leaf and root diseases

Harvest/Storage
As soon as the plant has four to five leaves, you can start harvesting. Pinch off the leaves or cut them off with scissors.
If you have a lot of plants, you can pinch off entire stalks.

Recommended Varieties
Fernleaf dill, which is good in potato salads, cucumber soup, and fish dishes

Pros and Cons of Raising Your Own Grass Fed Beef

Cons

Space - Unlike chickens, cows need more than just a backyard, so you need some acreage to raise cattle. Depending upon your climate, an acre per cow is a good rule of thumb.

Cost of feed - Even with adequate pasture, you’ll have to purchase feed for the winter months. Our hay bill is usually around $900 for the year, depending on the season, and going rate.

Fencing - There’s the initial cost of fencing. We use barbed wire. It’s fairly easy to put up and unlike electric fence where you have to worry about the electrical ground, weeds/brush touching the wire, and a constant power source, barbed wire is good to go. However, cattle can be notorious for getting out of any fence. Be ready to herd them back.

Care - Cattle don’t take an extreme amount of care, but they do require some. They need a constant supply of fresh clean water, and during the winter, feeding.

Breeding - If you keep a cow to breed back every year, you either have to purchase a bull, artificially inseminate, or haul your cow to a bull or a bull to your cow every year. Unless, you’re lucky enough to have a bull in the neighboring field who hops the fence when it’s time, and then goes back home. (This only happened to us one year and was with a bull we didn’t mind cross-breeding)

Pros

Taste - You can’t beat the taste of naturally grass fed beef. I’d talked about the difference so passionately that a co-worker bought half a beef from us. (This isn’t a sales pitch as we can’t meet the demand now) After having our beef, his wife refused to ever go back to store bought beef. You can taste the difference!

Price - While the cost of feed can be a lot up front, the cost of natural grass fed beef is much cheaper to raise than to buy in the store. Our local butcher charges a $55 kill fee (divided by how much of the beef you purchase) and $.50 per lb cut and wrap. If you butcher and wrap it yourself, then this cost is eliminated. Beef tastes better when allowed to age and as we don’t have the proper hanging facilities, we hire ours out. The average rate in our area is between $2.10 and $2.75 a lb, making every cut of beef around $3.00 a pound, including your expensive cuts of steak.

Plus, you get to decide which cuts of meat you want and how it’s packaged. We do butcher our own pigs, read How to Butcher a Whole Pig here.

Peace of mind - I know exactly what goes in to our cows. We buy our hay locally from local fields so I know they haven’t been treated. Our own pasture is managed organically, even though we’re not certified. (It costs too much for our tiny operation) Our cattle are cared for humanly. I’ll never have to worry about my children eating pink slime.

While raising your own grass fed beef isn’t for everyone, if you have acreage, it’s something to consider. I love that my children grow up knowing where the food comes from. And I suspect they’ll be as grateful of that as I am now.

Even if you can’t raise your own, you can look for a local ranch, and purchase from them. Or contact your local butcher and ask for referrals.

Grow Your Own Tomatoes Indoors This Winter

Tomatoes here, tomatoes there, tomatoes everywhere. When we're adrift in a sea of tomatoes, why a column about growing more tomatoes?

Think about the taste of those store-bought facsimiles you purchased last January and you have the answer. Those pale, hard, tasteless, imitations made you long for the real thing. This winter, you can have it.

You don't need a green thumb or a greenhouse to grow vine-ripened tomatoes indoors. "Window-sill" tomatoes will do well in 6-inch pots filled with good potting soil. You'll also need the right tomato seed, seed starter mix, fertilizer, and plant stakes. Presto! Tomato salad comin' up!

Window-sill tomatoes are smaller than their outdoor relatives -- quarter-to-half-dollar-size. But don't let their small size fool you -- they come with a big tomato taste. They aren't "slicers," but they are perfect for salads or snacks.

Here's how to grow a winter tomato garden:

You can grow one plant in a 6-inch pot or two plants in larger pots. For a continuous winter supply, start one or two new plants from seed every two weeks. Recommended varieties are Pixie, Patio, Toy Boy, Small Fry or Tiny Tim. These varieties will produce small plants, but they still may need to be staked, especially when they begin to bear fruit. Quarter-inch dowels make good stakes.

Germinate seeds in a small pot with starter mix. Plant seeds about 1/4 inch deep and water. Keep starter mix moist but not soggy. Germination should occur in 5 to l0 days.

Transplant from starter mix into potting soil when seedlings are about 3 inches tall. Fertilize regularly, but lightly, beginning about two weeks after transplanting. Water plants thoroughly, but not too frequently. A catch pan under the pot will keep windowsills dry.

When plants bloom, help Mother Nature along: Tap the main stem and larger side branches with your finger. This moves the plant slightly and encourages pollination. As you tap the plant, you might see a small cloud of pollen falling from the open flowers.

Turn plants occasionally, so all sides get a fair share of sunlight. After each plant has provided a bumper crop and has become unproductive, cut it off at the base, saving the potting soil for future transplants. Toss the old plant in the compost pile.

Tips for Feeding a Horse !

Feeding a horse can be confusing. There are a large number of different feeds available and no two horses are alike. The amount and type of feed given will depend on the horse’s type, age, weight, health, workload, the climate and what is locally available.

Feed little and often – The horse’s stomach is small compared to its body size and cannot hold a lot of food.

Don't feed a heavy meal before or after work- leave about 1 to 1,1/2 hours either side of work. Hay does not have to be removed.

Mix feeds daily and remove uneaten feed- By mixing feed daily rather than mixing all the feed together when it arrives, allows the feed to be rationed and allows you to see what the horse is eating. If the horse leaves any feed or becomes sick you can remove a feed product.

When you feed your horse after work, give them 1 flake of hay. But depending on what type of horse you have give them a cup of oats or pellets.

Weight bridges are expensive and not everyone has access to one. Ask vets, dealers and studs if they have one and if they are willing to let you use it. However "changes" in weight are more important.

Feed good quality feed and forage- Poor quality feeds that may be mouldy or sour can cause colic. Cheap or bad feeds may end up not being eaten and cost more in the long run.

Weigh feed – Don’t feed by “scoop”. Weigh how much a “scoop” is for each type of feed.

Feed plenty of Forage – Grazing, haylage, hay or oat straw so the horse has something in its stomach all day. This helps keep the peristaltic movement and digestive juices going, and avoid behavioural and health problems.

If you have regular access to a weight bridge, condition score as well. A horse that has gained weight may not have gained fat, but gained muscle.

If a horse doesn’t require a feed other then forage, but other horses kept with him do, give a “dummy feed” of low-energy chaff and balancer. This will mean the horse doesn’t feel left out when the others are fed.