Many Questions about eggs

[Ponypoor]

My first of 5 has started laying this week. A (about) 20 week old Rhode Island Red. So far she's a rockstar and has laid an egg pretty much every day since. They're small, which of course I expect this early, with very strong shells. I am, however surprised by the yolk color. I thought it would be more orange? theyre yellowish yolks just like store bought. They definitely taste better but I thought rich orange yolks was what you get from fresh eggs. Is this an age thing? or are my expectations incorrect?

Another question I have - Do people wash their eggs prior to cooking? I have been keeping them on the counter and then rinsing/rubbing them right before I cook them. Is this even necessary if they're clean looking? Its just one pullet right now laying and I am very vigilant about keeping the nesting boxes clean, so the eggs look very clean when I bring them inside. I see all these "enzyme" cleaners online and don't know if this is just marketing or something that people do.

and last question- should I save the shells and feed them back to the girls? They already get oyster shells and I will be switching to layer feed as soon as I run out of grower. Most days they get leftover scrambled eggs (store bought for now) from my kids never finishing their breakfast. I read that some people crush and mix the shells in scrambled eggs and feed it back. Is this really beneficial or should I just compost the shells?

Congratulations on your ulcer laying

1) Yolk colour - I find that if the chickens are housed and feed mainly a commercial feed, and don’t have access to eating other items such as bugs, grass, weeds, seeds, frogs, mice, the odd snake…. then the yolks are more yellow. The orange colour is found more in free range ladies.

Do you free range your chooks? Can you free range them for an hour or so each day if not?

2) washing eggs. I spot clean my eggs for any poopies, or if an egg breaks and the contents make the other eggs dirty. If they are really dirty after they are washed I keep those for myself. I sell eggs so I don’t want stains on them. After they dry (I dry with towel) and then let finish air dry before placing in carton - I then refrigerate.

I do not wash eggs that are otherwise clean prior to cracking and cooking. FYI always crack your eggs in a bowl prior to cooking in case you get an egg shell in there, or if the egg is otherwise contaminated. It’s also a great way to inspect the egg contents itself prior to cooking - I check eggs to see if they are fertilized, if the yolk is orange, how plump it is, the whites, the cords on either side of the yolk, any blood spots in the egg, how strong the shell is to crack… all are indicative of hen health.

3) feeding egg shells. I sometimes will, but the amount of calcium they get from the egg shell would not be as much as from oyster shell. But it’s a good way to recycle the eggs, you can ‘cook’ the shells to get rid of any contamination prior to feeding to the girls.

Always have oyster shell available, they will select larger particles of the oyster shell in the afternoon to use for making egg shells prior to
Laying an egg.

Here is a good article on egg shell production.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/for-strong-eggshells-size-matters/

Again congratulations on your pullet laying! I imagine by now more have started

 

[ForFlocksSake]

Congratulations on your ulcer laying

1) Yolk colour - I find that if the chickens are housed and feed mainly a commercial feed, and don’t have access to eating other items such as bugs, grass, weeds, seeds, frogs, mice, the odd snake…. then the yolks are more yellow. The orange colour is found more in free range ladies.

Do you free range your chooks? Can you free range them for an hour or so each day if not?

2) washing eggs. I spot clean my eggs for any poopies, or if an egg breaks and the contents make the other eggs dirty. If they are really dirty after they are washed I keep those for myself. I sell eggs so I don’t want stains on them. After they dry (I dry with towel) and then let finish air dry before placing in carton - I then refrigerate.

I do not wash eggs that are otherwise clean prior to cracking and cooking. FYI always crack your eggs in a bowl prior to cooking in case you get an egg shell in there, or if the egg is otherwise contaminated. It’s also a great way to inspect the egg contents itself prior to cooking - I check eggs to see if they are fertilized, if the yolk is orange, how plump it is, the whites, the cords on either side of the yolk, any blood spots in the egg, how strong the shell is to crack… all are indicative of hen health.

3) feeding egg shells. I sometimes will, but the amount of calcium they get from the egg shell would not be as much as from oyster shell. But it’s a good way to recycle the eggs, you can ‘cook’ the shells to get rid of any contamination prior to feeding to the girls.

Always have oyster shell available, they will select larger particles of the oyster shell in the afternoon to use for making egg shells prior to
Laying an egg.

Here is a good article on egg shell production.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/for-strong-eggshells-size-matters/

Again congratulations on your pullet laying! I imagine by now more have started

Thank you for your response! We cannot free range our girls here. Too many flying predators.
All good information. I appreciate it!

 

[kengboss21]

if the eggs are clean I leave them unwashed unrefridgerated. If they’re soiled I’ll wash them and refrigerate them. As for the shells I dry them in the sun or bake them and crush them up for the girls, oyster shell is cheap but eggshells are free. They are also good for the garden but you’ll definitely have enough for both chickens and the garden/compost.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

If they have access to grass and weeds they will lay eggs with sunshine yolks. If they don't forage, you can add store bought parsley to their feed.

Alas, mine won't touch parsley (which is growing in great abundance in my garden) or mint or oregano, but devour dandelions, French sorrel, radish & beet greens, grassy weeds, blackberry leaves and any kind of lettuce with voracious enthusiasm. Also any kind of bugs, worms, sowbugs, flying insects, etc. they can scavenge, and they're very dedicated foragers. Nice orange yolks!