What makes a good egg and how to get your hens to produce their best work is a major preoccupation for most of us chicken keepers. Peter Tisdell is one of Australia’s leading egg judges. We get down in the weeds a bit in this conversation— Pete knows a lot. But from egg faults and their causes to what kind of nesting box is best, Pete’s is a useful perspective not only if you’re showing your eggs or preparing to do so for the first time, but more importantly — what Pete shares here sheds light on how egg quality affects the results you get when you incubate. After all, the criteria used to judge eggs at a show are derived from the features that make an egg a) edible and b) hatchable — which are often one and the same. What Pete says about nutrition for optimal egg production, and his view on whether free range or penning your birds is better, may surprise you.