Fresh Eggs Daily® with Lisa Steele

Don't worry. Those white ropy strands aren't an embryo, an umbilical cord or a sign that the egg has been fertilized. They're actually a sign of freshness. Contrary to popular belief, that white stringy thing floating in your egg isn't a baby chick’s umbilical cord. It’s not an embryo, either. It’s actually a sign that the egg is super fresh.

Chickens and ducks are very different when it comes to feeding, housing and caring for them. Although we have been raising both chickens and ducks for almost 15 years, and they have been sharing a coop and run for the majority of that time, they are actually very different in so many ways. 

Celebrate spring with fresh herbs and tangy goat cheese baked in fresh eggs. Frittatas are sort of like crustless quiches. I love how quick and easy they are to make - and they're delicious warm right from the oven or at room temperature. Unlike quiches, they're not technically baked, but instead briefly cooked on the stove top, then finished up under your broiler.

This new and improved brooder box design requires only a plastic tote, some wire screen and a few zip ties. Years ago, I made a brooder box out of a plastic tote for my brand new baby chicks. It involved cutting boards, screwing together nuts and bolts, and required a saw, a drill... That box served me well through several batches of chicks and is probably out in the barn still somewhere. 

You won't even miss the carbs in this elegant twist on a traditional Eggs Benedict recipe. Flavorful asparagus provides the foundation for the fried egg, and then the whole thing is drizzled with decadent homemade Hollandaise sauce in this elegant Fried Egg with Asparagus and Hollandaise recipe. 

Here's a Big Mac copycat recipe. Make it at home - but make it a pizza. I try to avoid eating fast food as much as possible, but who hasn't been on a road trip absolutely starving (or bored!), so you stop at McDonald's and grab a Big Mac.  I'll admit to that and so I definitely am familiar with the taste of a Big Mac burger with special sauce.

Sprouting microgreens for your chickens provides them a nutritious treat they'll love - in just 5 days! Microgreens have become popular in human cuisine over the last few decades and with good reason. They add not only a pop of green on the plate and a bit of delicious crunch, they're also packed with nutrients and anti-oxidants. But they're not only for people. Your chickens will love them too!

This variation on a traditional swirl bread has braided layers of cardamom, vanilla and sugar to sweeten it. If you've never had bread flavored with cardamom, you're in for a real treat! I love to substitute cardamom for recipes that call for cinnamon. I find the subtle flavor much more to my liking. 

These nine common herbs can help to support backyard chickens' immune systems and keep them healthy naturally. Herbs of all kinds provide some pretty amazing health benefits for both people and poultry!  But if you are specifically looking to add some herbs to your backyard chickens' diet to support their immune system and keep them as healthy as possible, you can't go wrong with these nine common herbs.

There’s something so satisfying about rolling and cutting out cookies. This basic sugar cookie recipe will be a holiday show stopper, but it's a nice everyday cookie as well.  When I was assembling recipes to be included in my first cookbook, I knew that I wanted to include a great sugar cookie recipe.  Sugar cookies are my husband's favorites (right after peanut butter cookies!), and not just for Christmas either. He loves a good frosted sugar cookie any time of the year! These cookies are actually very nice for Valentine's Day.

There are lots of reasons why chickens don't lay eggs. What you're feeding them could be one reason, but it's not the only one. And not for the reason you think. If you raise your own chickens and haven't heard the latest chicken feed conspiracy theories swirling around social media (and tiktok specifically) about flocks of perfectly healthy chickens suddenly not laying eggs, you're likely living under a rock.