Living Conditions
The chickens at the Nest Next Door live in a fenced-in area attached to a coop. They spend most of their time hunting insects, lounging in the grass, digging holes in the yard with their toenails, and taking dust baths in the holes they've dug. The chickens eat an all-poultry feed every day, but their diet also includes plenty of grass, insects, and certain kitchen scraps. Their lives seem pretty awesome except when they're being jerks to each other.
Why Chickens "Go on Break"
Every year around late summer or autumn, chickens molt, which means that they shed many of their feathers and replace them. During this time, they stop laying eggs because they're diverting nutrients into growing their new feathers. The decrease in daylight triggers chickens to molt at that time of year, so it is possible to prevent them from molting by installing a light that stays on at all times in the coop. I would rather let them undergo their natural cycle of feather replacement, even though it means they might all stop laying eggs at the same time.
Another reason that chickens go on break is that they enter a hormonal state that causes them to want to hatch chicks, a condition known as "going broody." Broody hens stop laying eggs and stubbornly sit on a nest for weeks at a time, even if it has no eggs.
To give the eggs even longer shelf life, you can wash them only right before use. A freshly laid egg has a transparent protective coating called the "bloom," which keeps out bacteria. Washing the egg removes the bloom, so eggs from The Nest Next Door are sold unwashed and might have an occasional smudge.
Chicken Profiles
Valkyrie
Andromeda (aka "Galaxy Butt")
Juno
