Is this egg smiling?

[cornishhen]

We are in the midst of our first winter with chickens. It has been a learning experience for sure. Winter has proven the most nerve-wracking so far as new chicken owners. We have had some really bad days and some really miserable chickens a couple of times, but we are learning a lot and handling the challenges as they come. Since we work and can't be home all the time when it's crazy cold out, a lot of our eggs freeze and crack. We just let them thaw and then cook them up for a warm breakfast for the girls the next morning. They love it and I feel better that they are not going to waste. When it's this cold out, one of our chickens lays eggs with what looks like blood spots, but on the inside of the shell. Not sure what it is, but today's spotted, frozen, and cracked egg sure did make me feel like my girls really appreciate all the extra we are doing to keep them happy and healthy during the cold spells. Check it out...the egg white is leaking out of the crack as it thaws, but do you see the "blood spots" underneath? I see a smiley face, but it could just be that winter has gotten the best of me and my brain is frozen! HaHa! Hope you and your flocks are all staying warm this winter!

 

[N F C]

It sure looks like it is smiling to me, lol!

I've read about some members using heated nesting boxes to prevent eggs from freezing. Here's an article about how one member, @RonP , kept their eggs from freezing:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/heated-nesting-boxes-help-stop-frozen-eggs

There are other posts about this with other ideas and you can find them by doing a search on heated nesting boxes.

Thanks for sharing your photo, that was a good one!

 

[RonP]

We have had an unusually cold February for my area, many day temperatures only in the teens.

My schedule allows egg collection once around 8AM and once around 8PM.

The heated nest boxes are working as designed, flawlessly!

This year to date I have had 0 frozen eggs, whereas last year I had literally dozens...

My coldest recorded egg temperatures was 33F, significantly above the 28F threshold for egg freezing.

That particular day, daytime high temperatures in the coop were in the low teens, and the eggs were collected at 8:30pm.

 

[N F C]

Way to go @RonP with your heated nesting boxes! (I almost said "that's cool" but then thought better of it, lol.)

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It does look like a smiley face! It is crazy cold, and I am surprised I haven't had more frozen eggs. I work from home and can go out in the middle of the day. My hens help out by using the same nest box in succession. Their warm bellies keep the eggs from getting cold so fast.