So, how about a heavy bloom?

The bloom of an egg shell is a natural protective coating that covers the surface of an egg. This waxy layer acts as a barrier, helping to seal the egg and protect its contents from bacteria and moisture loss. The bloom also plays a vital role in keeping the egg fresh by preventing air and bacteria from entering through the tiny pores in the shell. Washing eggs will remove the bloom- making the eggs more susceptible to contamination and quicker spoilage.

A heavy bloomer is where you will find your more rare colors with your hens. A whitish heavy bloom over the egg shell can completely change the egg color. It can turn light brown eggs peach or rosy pink. Dark brown eggs can appear mauve or purple with a heavy bloom over them. Olive eggs appear grey. These colors are nothing more than an “overcoat” if you will. When you get the bloom wet, you’ll see the true egg shell color underneath.

Into the new year..

As the new year begins, the focus shifts a bit away from just a personal hobby farm to more of a business structure. The animals that we worked so hard to learn about and decide what works best for our needs have now reached a point of “return on investment”.

You see- each chicken breed on the farm was personally selected for egg color in order to gain the beautiful basket that we have obtained. After paying attention to the needs of a customer base like myself, I realized that there is a major lack of Silverudd Blues- which makes no sense considering the color that they bring to the egg genetic game! This means building a separate area with an intense focus on this breed specifically. I have sourced new birds from Alchemist farms to add to the line, as well as hatching eggs from a few other breeders I am working with.

Our heritage breed turkeys are still laying and fertile! We have hatched 2 poults over the last week and have roughly 12 that are waiting to hatch, along with our first Bresse offerings coming up over the next week. I have also tested fertility & see that we should be offering Silver Appleyard ducks in the months ahead as well! These are all animals that are PERFECT for those wishing to homestead. I already did the work to figure out what is best in terms of cost effectiveness, dual purpose & found animals that have pleasant demeanors & are safe around children.

Our bunnies are all living their best life in a colony housing area. We raise American Blue rabbits & love that they are a multi purpose breed! For us, they are pets and provide instant fertilizer for the garden, but because the breed is rare- people seek them from all over the country and even arrange transport to buy them! We sell singles and trios as they are available.

And finally- our Kunekunes! They are roaming pasture and living their best life eating a diet of acorns, forage and treats. They get daily interaction and we can’t wait to get to the point of having babies with them. This breed specifically will change everything you thought you knew in regards to pigs and their temperaments.

At the end of the day, our small hobby farm has grown into more than I even hoped for and I am so grateful to have you all along on the journey! If you ever have questions about anything at all- feel free to reach out on Facebook (it’s easiest).

XO