Any one want to join me in waiting for eggs, posting and comparing notes?

[Melabella]

Hi sausanali!!

Welcome to the thread!!!! So happy to have another egg waiter among us!
I have 2 barred rocks and love them both! They lay very light cream eggs, will be interesting to see what color Uriel's give you. Mine laid their first eggs at 24 weeks but there is a lot more light now!

So happy to have u here, and look forward ro more posts from you!
MB

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Hey everyone!

This is an amazing thread about waiting for an egg to be hatched, which had been left on her doorstep.... Who knows what it actually is. I'm enthralled. (Warning: This thread is addictive and will cause you to get behind in your chores/homework/whatever).

It is just beginning to hatch out now.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/750468/new-australian-hatching-mystery-egg-at-home

If nothing else, it will distract you from your wait for your own eggs....

Katrina

 

[CatSol]

My DH doesn't think I will be able to "do the deed" when the time
comes and does not want that responsibility. I have promised him
that I will do it or find someone who can if I find it too difficult at
that time. He has really grown to enjoy our pet chickens.

Currently, I have the meaties far away from my pet chickens and
am justifying that I will give them the best life I can until it comes time
for them to bless us with meat. Somehow I feel like I can do this
with a cornish cross since that's what they are basically bred for.

As the page turns.....

You should have heard the complaints when I wanted to raise a pig and a lamb for my mother's 70th birthday. Well... most of the complaints was from one co-worker. How cruel I was to raise a pet for the table was only the start of it. Then she invited herself to the party because she must taste everything to prove me wrong. She had a recent surgery for weight loss ( I think it was the lap-band) and had just went out to eat with friends before she came over... ate at my house and had an alcohol beverage... which is a no no if you had that surgery. Yes she got herself sick but she liked all the food. Lucky I do not work with her.
A friend of mine had put down the larger animals but I did it for the tom turkey we had for last Thanksgiving. It was not easy but I did do it. I told him sorry but he must go now and thank you for what all that I learned from him and for his life. It was a little strange but WOW was that the best turkey we have ever had. He was only a royal palm turkey which are small. He dressed out to about 12 lbs. I think I do want to try a broad breasted turkey this year.
Good luck with your cornish crosses... I was thinking of doing the same thing in a year or so...

 

[CatSol]

!!! Egg Squat !!!

This is Amber my gold star... Today she did her first egg squat for me! I am soooo egg-cited. Earlier I seen her check out the nesting box. She will be 20 weeks old later this week...

 

[kdwag]

My first day finding a broken egg in the nest box.

I gave my neighbor 4 eggs this am for him to try out. I thought,
no problem I'll get 3 more today. My EE took the day off
and my RIR nice big egg was found splat all over the contents
of the nest box. Oh well. DH and I took our grandson to a
spring fling today. So many adorable chicks and bunnies
not to mention all the fun things for kids to do. I almost brought
home a bunny today but had discipline enough to walk away.

However... I have decided to give an attempt at meat birds.
I hope not to offend anyone here. I am really wanting to bring
healthier food into the family (I feel like I am apologizing
for some reason) Probably because of the looks I have received
from some people I have told in person. Anyway, I picked up 4 cornish
cross today and have done my best not to name them or handle
them more than necessary. My nature would be to snuggle with all of them.

My DH doesn't think I will be able to "do the deed" when the time
comes and does not want that responsibility. I have promised him
that I will do it or find someone who can if I find it too difficult at
that time. He has really grown to enjoy our pet chickens.

Currently, I have the meaties far away from my pet chickens and
am justifying that I will give them the best life I can until it comes time
for them to bless us with meat. Somehow I feel like I can do this
with a cornish cross since that's what they are basically bred for.

As the page turns.....

I'm anxious to hear how you do. I've been toying with that idea as well, and my husband says the same thing about me. However, I thought I would send them to a local processor for butchering because I myself cannot do that deed. LOL I think I can raise them ok if I know right from the beginning that's what I'm getting them for. I dunno, will see. Keep us posted....

 

[nova022]

My first day finding a broken egg in the nest box.

I gave my neighbor 4 eggs this am for him to try out. I thought,
no problem I'll get 3 more today. My EE took the day off
and my RIR nice big egg was found splat all over the contents
of the nest box. Oh well. DH and I took our grandson to a
spring fling today. So many adorable chicks and bunnies
not to mention all the fun things for kids to do. I almost brought
home a bunny today but had discipline enough to walk away.

However... I have decided to give an attempt at meat birds.
I hope not to offend anyone here. I am really wanting to bring
healthier food into the family (I feel like I am apologizing
for some reason) Probably because of the looks I have received
from some people I have told in person. Anyway, I picked up 4 cornish
cross today and have done my best not to name them or handle
them more than necessary. My nature would be to snuggle with all of them.

My DH doesn't think I will be able to "do the deed" when the time
comes and does not want that responsibility. I have promised him
that I will do it or find someone who can if I find it too difficult at
that time. He has really grown to enjoy our pet chickens.

Currently, I have the meaties far away from my pet chickens and
am justifying that I will give them the best life I can until it comes time
for them to bless us with meat. Somehow I feel like I can do this
with a cornish cross since that's what they are basically bred for.

As the page turns.....

Good luck with your meaties. I wanted to raise them as well and my friend was going to go halfs with me and she has processed before, but my husband was totally against the idea so it is on hold.

 

[kdwag]

My goodness. I have been trying to get caught up here for about a week. Been busy around here.

kdawg: Is your vocal Liza Doo a welsummer by chance? I have one and she is squawking around day and night. In the coop, out of the coop. ALL THE TIME!

melabella: where do you live again? I am feeling your pain at winter. We have been getting snow dusting off and on for 3 days here. I just want the sun to shine and warm things up. Bring on the rain and thunderstorms! I am soooo ready!

xshoshin: I have read of 2 different thoughts on egg eating. Some people say if you feed raw eggs back to your birds that they will continue to eat all the eggs and so you should cook them up first. Others say it is usually a phase that happens when the eggs have thin shells allowing them to crack easier, which leads to the eating. In my experience, the second is usually what happens. (At least with my birds) I have on occasion found a broken egg in the box, and those usually have very thin shells. I typically scoop them out, toss them in the scrap dish and everyone loves them. I have not noticed that it causes any extra egg eating. Since the hens seem to all lay in the same nests, my thinking is the thin egg gets cracked or squished when the next hen goes in.

I do what melabella does and feed the dried shells back to the birds. I usually toss them in a dish of water, rinse then set aside. When I get enough to fill a pan, or need to use the oven, I put them on a parchment covered baking pan and bake. For about 10 minutes. Cool then crush.

Kacklinkelly: ouch! I hope you still have all your toes after your chicken scratch episode!

knobby oaks: I've never had black specks, but sometimes a reddish brown one... Nothing like those blood spots photos either... Someplace I red that those types of things are usually related to some sort of stress to the chicken during the creation of the egg. I usually try and set those eggs aside for the dogs/cats/chickens... I also only seem to get them on occasion from one hen, so maybe it has something to do with that specific hens insides.... I don't know.

My Liza Doo is a partridge plymouth rock. She's crazy and not a very consistent layer.

 

[kdwag]

My goodness. I have been trying to get caught up here for about a week. Been busy around here.

kdawg: Is your vocal Liza Doo a welsummer by chance? I have one and she is squawking around day and night. In the coop, out of the coop. ALL THE TIME!

melabella: where do you live again? I am feeling your pain at winter. We have been getting snow dusting off and on for 3 days here. I just want the sun to shine and warm things up. Bring on the rain and thunderstorms! I am soooo ready!

xshoshin: I have read of 2 different thoughts on egg eating. Some people say if you feed raw eggs back to your birds that they will continue to eat all the eggs and so you should cook them up first. Others say it is usually a phase that happens when the eggs have thin shells allowing them to crack easier, which leads to the eating. In my experience, the second is usually what happens. (At least with my birds) I have on occasion found a broken egg in the box, and those usually have very thin shells. I typically scoop them out, toss them in the scrap dish and everyone loves them. I have not noticed that it causes any extra egg eating. Since the hens seem to all lay in the same nests, my thinking is the thin egg gets cracked or squished when the next hen goes in.

I do what melabella does and feed the dried shells back to the birds. I usually toss them in a dish of water, rinse then set aside. When I get enough to fill a pan, or need to use the oven, I put them on a parchment covered baking pan and bake. For about 10 minutes. Cool then crush.

Kacklinkelly: ouch! I hope you still have all your toes after your chicken scratch episode!

knobby oaks: I've never had black specks, but sometimes a reddish brown one... Nothing like those blood spots photos either... Someplace I red that those types of things are usually related to some sort of stress to the chicken during the creation of the egg. I usually try and set those eggs aside for the dogs/cats/chickens... I also only seem to get them on occasion from one hen, so maybe it has something to do with that specific hens insides.... I don't know.

My Liza Doo is a partridge plymouth rock. She's crazy and not a very consistent layer.

 

[kdwag]

Welcome newbies to this thread-- I'm in a rotten foul mood this morning. Weather forecast yesterday "no snow north of the turnpike", well, we're north of the turnpike and I awoke to 25 MPH winds and snow like a freaking blizzard--seriously?? Lake effect they say, no where in yesterday's forecast did Lake effect snow ever get mentioned-my run is covered in drifts, the girls don't want to go out, and my wonderfully prefabbed freaking coop is too small for food/water and 4 birds--- so, I tried to cover as much of the run with plastic to keep the snow out, but it'll get ripped off,, had they called for this weather, I would have had my *** out there yesterday trying to get it winterized--- seriously HATE this FREAKING weather. Someone laid a soft shell and of course, they were all trying to eat it and since it's so windy, I can't open the cleaning hatch to get inside so I had half my body in the entrance trying to remove poo and egg and they're freaking out and dumping food everywhere!! AGGGHHHHHH Good thing I'm small or i'd have been stuck inside with them probably pecking my eyes out because this weather pisses them off too.

Unfortunately, if they wanter water, they're going to have to go down their ramp to get it. LOL Happy Monday.

 

[Spikes Chooks]

Welcome newbies to this thread-- I'm in a rotten foul mood this morning. Weather forecast yesterday "no snow north of the turnpike", well, we're north of the turnpike and I awoke to 25 MPH winds and snow like a freaking blizzard--seriously?? Lake effect they say, no where in yesterday's forecast did Lake effect snow ever get mentioned-my run is covered in drifts, the girls don't want to go out, and my wonderfully prefabbed freaking coop is too small for food/water and 4 birds--- so, I tried to cover as much of the run with plastic to keep the snow out, but it'll get ripped off,, had they called for this weather, I would have had my *** out there yesterday trying to get it winterized--- seriously HATE this FREAKING weather. Someone laid a soft shell and of course, they were all trying to eat it and since it's so windy, I can't open the cleaning hatch to get inside so I had half my body in the entrance trying to remove poo and egg and they're freaking out and dumping food everywhere!! AGGGHHHHHH Good thing I'm small or i'd have been stuck inside with them probably pecking my eyes out because this weather pisses them off too.

Unfortunately, if they wanter water, they're going to have to go down their ramp to get it. LOL Happy Monday.

Wow, that sucks, big time. Some days you just have to wait them out. Roll on Tuesday, huh?!? And Spring. Being responsible for chickens makes us even more frustrated with weather. But it will improve of course.

Wishing you the best till then
Katrina