Dear Egg Customers:

We know our customers choose Riverdog because we provide fresh, seasonal, organic produce. Our egg-laying hens are pastured outdoors in a field of alfalfa and clover, open to the sun, the rain and the seasons (and the coyotes!). And just like our vegetables and fruits, their egg-laying is seasonal, peaking in the long, warm days of spring and summer and almost stopping in the short cold fall and winter days. Typical supermarket egg-hens are grown indoors in highly controlled, artificial environments designed to maximize production at the cost of taste and freshness. As our customers who've tasted them know, our eggs are anything but your typical supermarket eggs. However, that means winter egg shortages. But don't worry! When eggs come back into season in the spring, we should have plenty to go around.

Thanks,

Riverdog Farm

Growing our flocks

Our chicken flocks, both meat birds and laying hens, are growing! We sell our rainbow-pack (blue, white, and brown) eggs by the dozen at the Berkeley Farmers' market each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The market locations and times are:

Tuesday: Derby and MLK 2-7
Thursday: Rose and Shattuck 3-7
Saturday: Center and MLK 10-3

Come to the markets early if you want to buy eggs because we sell out very quickly, usually within the first half hour.

The laying hens include Araucanas, Australorps, Barred Rocks, White Leghorns, and VegaBrowns. 

Chicken is available fresh, not frozen at the farmers' markets. We sell the whole broilers with head and feet for $5 per pound; they weigh 3 to 5 lbs.

Through our Community Supported Agriculture program, the chicken is available frozen.  


The breed we raise for meat is the Freedom Ranger from a hatchery in Pennsylvania. According to the hatchery's website:

"The Freedom Ranger day-old chicks are hatched in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The breeding stock is imported from the regions of Burgundy and Brittany (France). The genetic stock is derived from the American and European old heritage breed of chicken and was developed in the early 1960’s to meet the highest standards of the French Label Rouge Free Range program. Currently, the Freedom Ranger genetic stock is used by most non-factory farm production models (alternative) all across Europe and also by small pastured poultry producers in search of a traditionally raised farm chicken - just like the "oldies", healthy and with a succulent flavor and texture."

Here is some customer praise about our chicken:

"I just had a taste of your incredible chicken at the SF Ferry Plaza yesterday when I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich from 4505 Meats.The chicken was so moist and flavorful - really delicious!" - SF customer

"Your chicken and pork are the best tasting I've had in awhile!" Ryan Farr, owner of 4505 Meats, www.4505meats.com

To order Riverdog Farm chicken, please email the farm: csa@riverdogfarm.com with your request.

Spring Pasture

The alfalfa ready, we moved the mobile coops on to the pasture and let out the layers. It's always fun to see them explore the ground, swimming in a sea of green.

Coming Out of the Lull

Our egg numbers are up by some dozens, most likely due to the warm and sunny springlike days we enjoyed the past week. As our layers creep out from their winter hiatus, the longer days and fairer weather in spring will increase egg production. The photos below are chickens in a field of flowering cabbage plants. Our layers are a picky bunch, however, concentrating more on winter weeds than on the cabbage plants. Still, it's a great help to us. The green hills and pinkish white almond blossoms (as well as the aforementioned flowering brassicas) signal the approaching spring.

Hen's Winter Tendencies

Our laying hens take a break in winter. Their egg production slows down due to cold temperatures and shorter day length. To the folks who enjoy purchasing eggs at the Berkeley Farmers' Markets, thank you for your patience while they take a break. Some poultry farms opt to install lights in the coops to extend the hen's perceived light hours and trigger steadier laying patterns. Since our mobile coops are located in remote fields away from power sources, we have not set up a lighting system to influence their egg productivity. After Winter Solstice, the day light hours gradually increase and the egg availability follows this change. Just this week our egg collection numbers went up. Rest assured, there will be enough eggs to satisfy the demand by early April. Our September arrivals of chicks are now mature enough to lay their first eggs. Laying hens typically start to lay eggs around six months. Their first eggs start out small and increase to full size about their eighth or ninth month. Happy egg eating!

Autumn Pasture

Photos of Day Old Chicks (See video below)