Over the last year my backyard flock varied in numbers from 12 to 16. Some hens were older, some were too young to lay. Some laid eggs everyday in the summer, others went broody. A few were sick. Sadly, some died. Still, the girls managed to produce 1,874 eggs! Around here, eggs from pastured hens sell for about $4.00 per dozen. Minus some eggs that were cracked, or dirty, or just plain weird, I figure that the hens laid almost $600 worth of eggs in 2008. I suppose that they paid their own way, but I refuse to add up how much I spent on them. Luckily, my livelihood doesn’t depend on making a profit. But my sanity depends on having the hens in the backyard.