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

[CatSol]

Nice pig Red. My friend and her boyfriend came over to put my pigs and lamb down. I have been learning a lot about dressing meat. I am almost ready to go hunting... my friend is moving to Washington and she has promised to take me next season. I knew it would be a lot of work but the hams and the bacon were soooooo worth it.
Pretty eggs Debbie. I love the verity of browns that are out there. Wow, Mellabella... x-large eggs. Very nice. I think tonight I will use some of my turkey eggs when I bake some cookies.

 

[Redangler]

MB, I would love to keep her but the feed bill would kill me, if my wife didn't kill me first. She already was not real happy!

Part of the price when you buy one of the FFA pigs is they include processing in your purchase price. Unfortunately she is on her way to be processed. If I had brought it home it would never have made it to the plate! It is already hard enough that I saw this pig being raised from 40 pounds to the near 300 she is now! She belonged to a friend of mines daughter and I was glad I could buy it from her. These kids devote alot of time and money to their animals. The freezer will be full of plenty of pork products to go with our eggs!

On another note, a few of my eggs have had small meatspots in the egg whites. Not alot of information out there on what causes this problem. Does anyone have any ideas?

Red

 

[Melabella]

MB, I would love to keep her but the feed bill would kill me, if my wife didn't kill me first. She already was not real happy!

Part of the price when you buy one of the FFA pigs is they include processing in your purchase price. Unfortunately she is on her way to be processed. If I had brought it home it would never have made it to the plate! It is already hard enough that I saw this pig being raised from 40 pounds to the near 300 she is now! She belonged to a friend of mines daughter and I was glad I could buy it from her. These kids devote alot of time and money to their animals. The freezer will be full of plenty of pork products to go with our eggs!

On another note, a few of my eggs have had small meatspots in the egg whites. Not alot of information out there on what causes this problem. Does anyone have any ideas?

Red

Red,

I so hear you there,, I hope you didn't think my post was any kind of judgement on your pig! My daughter is in equine 4-H and I see the livestock groups working so hard every summer to prepare for fair. I now only buy my meat from places that I know treat their animals as humanely as possible before they give their lives for us to prosper.

As far as the meatspots thing.. here is a quote from a very good article I read recently.

"Sometimes small spots of blood or meaty substances are present in eggs. This is caused when some part of the oviduct sheds material or has a broken blood vessel, and the shed matter simply gets wrapped up inside the egg when the membranes or shell is added. Though it should be fine to eat such eggs (fully cooked), that is solely up to you."​

In fact, the article is a wonderful, fact filled information about egg production. All of us here who are learning about eggs, and all that it takes for our girls to make them will find it interesting. Here it is...​

Chickens, Eggs, Fertilization, Reproduction and Other Insider Information​

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One of my daughters has a Silkie that pops out eggs like a gumball machine! She layes almost daily... about every 25 hours. Ever wonder how chickens do that?​

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On this blog, it is not that uncommon for me to show the insides of real chickens. Happily, I can assure you that through the magic of electronics and art, my daughter's gumball machine Silkie (today's model of chicken reproduction) is running happily about the yard as I write.​

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So in this chicken version of How Stuff Works, I have made a rather simple diagram of the inner reproductive workings of the average hen. Chickens develop and hatch with thousands of ova (yolks or undeveloped eggs) - already inside their ovary. Though chickens start out (in the egg) with two ovaries, only the left one develops and becomes active. It is this way with almost all poultry, though raptors differ in that generally the right side develops and not the left.

In this diagram you can see Ova in various stages of development near the #1.

As a pullet matures, her reproductive organs mature also. From the outside we can usually see the growth and reddening of the comb and wattles... unless, that is, it is a Silkie where comb and wattles tend to be dark in color and hidden under tons of fluff.

When a mature Ovum is released from the Ovary, it is called ovulation. The entire reproductive system is called the Oviduct and is usually between 25 and 27 inches long in a mature hen. The Oviduct has five distinctive parts. The first part is the Infundibulum - When the ovum is released from the ovary, the muscle lining of the infundibulum pulls the ovum into it... sort of like a mini egg vacuum. The ovum spends about 15 to 18 minutes in this part of the oviduct.

Fascinating fact - when a rooster mates with a hen, he mounts her and, standing on her back, lowers his cloaca (vent) and the hen inverts her own cloaca to meet with his. There is no penetration, but the sperm packet released by the male is taken into the hen's cloaca or vent. From there the sperm makes its way to the infundibulum where it awaits the release of an ovum. Sperm can live in the infundibulum for more than 2 weeks.

So - the ovum is released from the ovary into the 3 to 4 inch-long infundibulum where it is fertilized with the rooster's sperm if the hen has been mated.​

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Then the fertilized (or unfertilized) ovum moves into the Magnum. The magnum is the longest section of the oviduct at roughly 13 inches in length (diagram is SO not to scale). This is where the egg white or Albumen is added to the ovum. The ovum's trip down the magnum takes about 3 hours.​

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Next, the partially-constructed egg moves into the 4 inch long Isthmus where the inner and outer shell membranes are added over a period of about 75 minutes.​

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The egg then moves into the Shell Gland (Uterus) where it stays for 20 hours to have its shell constructed. The hen's body will pull some calcium from her bones and the rest from her diet to put into the shell. If the hen is of a breed that lays colored eggs, the pigment will also be put into the egg in this section of the oviduct.​

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After the shell has been added, the egg moves down toward the Cloaca or Vent so that the chicken may lay the egg.​

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And from here the entire process starts over. Interesting facts to note, chickens almost never lay eggs after about 3:00 pm. It takes an average of 25 hours to form a new egg. This means that even the best layers will have to skip a day every now and then because her egg comes an hour later each day, and once she reaches that 3:00 pm point, her body will hold on to the egg until the next morning.

Often people wonder about pullets laying shell-less eggs or irregular eggs. The best way to explain this is that as a pullet matures, all those parts of the oviduct may not be ready to create an egg all at the same time. If the Shell Gland is not ready or hasn't been able to procure enough calcium from the hen's body or diet, it may not be able to form a shell properly. It is best not to eat shell-less eggs. Feed them to your chickens - they love eggs for breakfast!

Hens that seem to have a habit of laying eggs with ridged or rough shells likely have an abnormality in their Shell Gland. Generally it is harmless to the hen, and perfectly safe to eat eggs with ridged shells.​

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Sometimes small spots of blood or meaty substances are present in eggs. This is caused when some part of the oviduct sheds material or has a broken blood vessel, and the shed matter simply gets wrapped up inside the egg when the membranes or shell is added. Though it should be fine to eat such eggs (fully cooked), that is solely up to you.

It is also very common for pullets to have some funny issues with laying when they have just started, and it is also common for mature hens to have some issues when they re-start laying after being broody or after a molt.

Oh - and one last thing... while feces and eggs both exit through the Vent, the oviduct and the end of the large intestine open right before the inside of the vent opening. This is why it is very, very uncommon to have worms inside an egg... the oviduct is placed far from the intestinal tract where parasites live to help prevent such things. People may mistake a bit of sloughed off oviduct lining for a parasite - - because any parasite that found its way into an egg would have had to take a seriously wrong turn somewhere along the way!! Of course, it is not impossible. If it truly is a parasite inside one of your hen's eggs, it could indicate an uncommonly high parasite load in that chicken, and it would be time to take action to remedy the situation.​

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Happy Laying!​

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[CatSol]

Wow.. amazing. I had not yet seen the whole egg process. It is good to know and the pics are amazing. As for the Pig... I think you had the better deal Red. It was not easy but I wanted to go through the whole process. I did not get attached to either pig... And each animal that has been put down here has been done in the most humane way posseble. I also told each animal, 'Thank you for all that you tought me. Thank you for your life.' Also... It is a LOT of work processing all that meat. Our big pig was about 280 lbs dressed and that was not easy for 2 women and one guy (a guy who is half our size)... I may not want to do that again. But now that you reminded me of the 4H students... I will look into that if I want that much meat again. But this whole process gave me a great deal of respect for the people who can do this all the time and the farmers in the old days.... Yes, Red... you had the better deal.

 

[Redangler]

MB, no offense taken. It takes alot to offend me!

Thanks for the great info on the egg process. Some of the things I read said that it is not uncommon with new layers and that the problem usually works it way out as they get a normal laying process. I didn't really see where there is anything I can do about these meatspots. I hope this is true, I don't think my wife would ever eat one if she finds a spot in them!

I also got some leftover oats from the pigs owner. I am going to try growing fodder for the girls. I will keep you guys posted on how this goes.

Cat, I'm glad I didn't have to process this one. That whole personally knowing the animal makes it a little more difficult. Our family eats alot of venison and we process all of our own meat during hunting season. To my surprise my kids love to help!

Gotta head out, so have a good day and happy egg hunting!

Red

 

[Melabella]

I don't think my wife would ever eat one if she finds a spot in them!

Oh my word, I hear you, still trying to convince my husband there is nothing different or harmful from eating fertilized eggs, it skeeves him out.

I also got some leftover oats from the pigs owner. I am going to try growing fodder for the girls. I will keep you guys posted on how this goes.

Please do! I was just reading an article about this, thought the chickens would really like it. I heard wheat is the easiest, and least mold possibilities.


Red

One thing I forgot to mention earlier on the egg process article, it's rights and permission to use the article are courtesy of Leigh Edwards also known as member Bulldogma.
Thanks Leigh!

 

[CatSol]

I guess I really do need to think about that critter cam... I live in a newer house in a community that is not all that affluent. But that is why there are some very nice newer houses in this area... we want the room to have animals. Yesterday I had to have a horse picked up by animal control. He had been tied to my fence post the night before. He slipped the poorly made rope halter and ran into my front yard. He went around the property stayed near the back fence near my horses trying to steal some water and their food. I caught him no problem and brought him in. I put him at the hitching post with a flake and some water so he could wait in some comfort for animal control. He was not in that bad a shape. Decent weight and his shoes looked recent. He was limping some but that could have been due to anything... I felt sorry for him but I already have 2 horses. With a critter cam I might have caught who left him here... maybe next time. Because I am afraid that there will be a next time.
That is great Red. My friend used to go hunting with her Dad all the time. She loved it. I think it is wonderful that your kids are very into helping you with that. I think it is a very good thing for everyone to know and appreciate were their food is coming from. You would not believe the issues I had with some people for wanting to raise some of my food. A different friend even had problems giving away some of her oranges... Since they were not from the store... They should not be eaten. No one in my family has asked for eggs. It is my friends that ask for some.. which I am happy to share.
I got to get going... due to the holiday I don't have to go to work but I do have a lot of things do around the home... got to get ready for spring planting Have a great day every one.


Oh and by the way... my friend that has girls that are from the same group my 2 big girls are from.... She just found her first egg yesterday. One little brown egg... Either her Red or Black star... Wow... That is about 1 month later then my girls.

 

[debbie_nibbles]

I guess I really do need to think about that critter cam... I live in a newer house in a community that is not all that affluent. But that is why there are some very nice newer houses in this area... we want the room to have animals. Yesterday I had to have a horse picked up by animal control. He had been tied to my fence post the night before. He slipped the poorly made rope halter and ran into my front yard. He went around the property stayed near the back fence near my horses trying to steal some water and their food. I caught him no problem and brought him in. I put him at the hitching post with a flake and some water so he could wait in some comfort for animal control. He was not in that bad a shape. Decent weight and his shoes looked recent. He was limping some but that could have been due to anything... I felt sorry for him but I already have 2 horses. With a critter cam I might have caught who left him here... maybe next time. Because I am afraid that there will be a next time.
That is great Red. My friend used to go hunting with her Dad all the time. She loved it. I think it is wonderful that your kids are very into helping you with that. I think it is a very good thing for everyone to know and appreciate were their food is coming from. You would not believe the issues I had with some people for wanting to raise some of my food. A different friend even had problems giving away some of her oranges... Since they were not from the store... They should not be eaten. No one in my family has asked for eggs. It is my friends that ask for some.. which I am happy to share.
I got to get going... due to the holiday I don't have to go to work but I do have a lot of things do around the home... got to get ready for spring planting Have a great day every one.


Oh and by the way... my friend that has girls that are from the same group my 2 big girls are from.... She just found her first egg yesterday. One little brown egg... Either her Red or Black star... Wow... That is about 1 month later then my girls.

Spring planting

saying that warmed my bones a little! Love hearing talk of spring! So sad that someone can just get rid something they've taken care of Hope they find a good home for him / her! Yay for your friend! First eggs and each one after that is always exciting!!! Love our eggs

Have a good day all!

 

[BroosterSpringsteen]

Wow, I took a couple of days off, and had a lot to read!

Red, nice pig!

Personally, I love for my kids to be involved in knowing the process of where our food comes from. It's sad how disconnected most folks are from what they eat. The first time we ate one of our chickens, I think my daughter was a little wary. But now I think both my kids understand pretty well. Our chickens live happy, healthy lives. They're much happier than the chickens at the store. I'm not saying everyone should raise and butcher all their food, but if you're going to eat animals, I think it's good really understand what that means. We have a local farm co-op here, where you can purchase all kinds of locally grown produce, dairy, beef, pork, and chicken. Or you can barter with other farmers. I actually just traded some knitting and produce for several pounds of handmade smoked sausage, and it is sooo delicious!

That's a great chicken egg diagram! I've always wondered how the whole process works.

 

[admts50]

Very cute picture - thank you for sharing! They do grow fast! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday!