We got our first eggs!

[Floweryfields]

It's very exciting isn't it! I have two new girls who are already laying and it's just as exciting finding eggs a few weeks on!

[Phteven]

I still love finding eggs and we've had our girls for a while now. There's something really special about a warm egg.
Now that you're growing your own eggs the ones you buy in the shops will never measure up again especially for poaching. Fresh eggs poach so beautifully.

[Astrid]

Totally agree on the poaching of fresh eggs, nothing better.

The girls both love getting the eggs. Bubs will scream till she gets to hold one, she will cuddle it and say "nummy nummy".

[Floweryfields]

And how yellow they are, store boughts don't compare at all with that colour. Not to mention the fact that you know that they are living humane lives and not caged in horrible conditions.

[nanananny]

When I was a kid the next door neighbour had bantams, I would love to go collect the eggs when they were on holidays. I want chickens!

[Phteven]

FM, they don't take much room. If every house in Australia had chooks we could get rid of the caged chook industry.
I think that lots more people are getting them now because when I got mine it was hard to find chook pellets, I had to go to the produce store, now the supermarket sells three types.

[nanananny]

Hi brontide, we've thought about it before, we were worried about the foxes so we will need a good hen house, we have the room. I will bring it up with my husband again and he will go not more animals

[Floweryfields]

Brontide - Absolutely! My local produce store had point of layers for $15ea yesterday. I was thinking about it this morning - currently I am getting 2 eggs a day, soon I will be getting 4. The chooks get all of my scraps, a few treats (cheap canned cat food) once or twice a week free range all day and also have proper layer mash. The mash costs $18 for a 20kg bag which lasts around 2-3 months. Factor in a few dollars here and there for worming and other stuff - shellgrit, etc.
Comparing with how much it costs to buy a dozen free range eggs, because I just can't justify cage eggs if possible - $5-6/dozen. I am getting over a dozen a week currently, soon over 2 dozen - at a couple of $ per week for food! Not to mention the joy of having them - they are such characters.

I am a member of an Aussie backyard chook forum too - bit passionate about getting others into keeping chookies!