Happy Chickens, Happy Eggs

At Willapa Bay Heritage Farm, we are known for our farm fresh eggs. We have 150 pampered, happy chickens from which we harvest lovely, rainbow   colored eggs from chickens fed organic fruits and vegetables and a baseline of organic chicken feed, which is also no corn, no soy, and non-GMO.

Our chickens are humanely raised and free range, they can come and go as they please in their “chicken safe” homes which protect them from aerial predators like bald eagles, golden eagles, turkey vultures, hawks and the like.

Sunlight Effects  on Laying Hens

As the days get shorter and have less daylight, hens start to decline in production. At the farm, we go from 40 to 45 dozen per week in the peak of summer  down to about 10 dozen a week in the dead of winter.

A hen’s reproductive cycle is controlled by a photoperiod, or light exposure. Hens require at least 14 hours of light per day to lay eggs. Chickens produce eggs at a maximum rate with 16 hours of light exposure. Once daylight is less than 12 hours, egg production slows down considerably if not ceasing completely.

The hen’s pineal gland produces melatonin, which helps regulate sleep and other body functions. As the days lengthen, her pineal gland responds by sending a hormone through her body to her ovary to start producing eggs. As the days shorten, the pineal gland stops sending this hormone.

Meet some of our Star Chickens