I LOVE FRESH EGGS! There is nothing better than a fresh egg.

Before we started raising chickens last spring, I had never had a fresh egg, but I was really looking forward to it! I waited impatiently patiently for the time when my young pullets would start laying for me. When they did finally start, we were in the middle of moving them from a small coop to a much larger coop and was pleasantly surprised to find 2 little eggs in the far corner of the little coop the day before we actually moved them!

I waited until I had enough eggs for the whole family to have some and then I scrambled up some fresh eggs first, and then I scrambled up some store bought eggs. Just the color was completely different. The store bought eggs were almost white compared to the bright orange yolks of the fresh eggs. And the taste! Oh my! There really is no comparing the two! Store bought has NO taste when comparing them to the fresh eggs. My family has gotten to the point that, on the rare occasion we do go out to eat for breakfast (or to Cracker Barrel were you can get breakfast all day) we do not eat the eggs. They are so lacking in flavor that they taste terrible. This is mostly due in part to the fact that we free range our chickens. They do get layer feed, as well as some scratch and scraps of food (no meat), but the majority of their diet comes from what they find themselves.

Right now, I’m getting an average of 14 eggs per day, but I get as many as 17. The Lord has been so good to us and provided us with just enough people wanting to buy my eggs that it covers the cost of their feed. That is all I prayed for, and He provided. I’m not in this for the money, but it does get expensive even with them free ranging, so this really helps out and makes it more affordable. My girls (and guys) are well loved and very spoiled. They get lots of treats (i.e. veggie & fruit scraps, oatmeal, etc.) and think they should have them any time someone comes out the back door.

If you have never tried fresh eggs, please do! They are so much better for you! It has been proven that fresh eggs from chickens that are free-ranged are much better for you than any store bought eggs. According to Mother Earth News here are the nutritional values of fresh eggs from free-ranged chickens:

• 4 to 6 times more vitamin-D
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene

WOW! Eggs really are good for you! Who knew that you could find so much nutrition in such a small package? All I can say is “YUM!”!!

Don’t forget to check out The Diaper Diaries to see what everyone else has to say about “Things I Love Thursday”!