Arizona Chickens

[City farm]

Cute duck! So sweet!

One of my SLW layed her first egg today! I have 3 that are 23 weeks old, so the other two should start any day now. We got 4 eggs yesterday and 6 today. If we keep getting these numbers, no more store eggs! I have 14 of our chickens' eggs in the fridge now...enough for one breakfast.

Hey hope this helps.
Storing eggs that have not been touched on the counter, can be left on the counter for over a month..
We use our tongs to pick up our eggs.. They have a bloom covering the egg.. It is invisible, but when you wash them
Just before you use it you will be able to feel the bloom... I say it is like dog slobber, you can feel it but not see it..
We don't have enough room in our fridge to keep all of our eggs...
Plus I have been taking our eggs to work to show everyone the different sizes & colors.. No refrigeration needed... They love it..

 

[countrygirl74]

Would it be better to place my coop on the side of my house that gets more shade? I thought it would be better for them in the summer, but in the winter the area would start to be shaded in the early afternoon. I have east/west exposure front of the house gets the west, backyard gets the east. Any insight would be helpful!

I have my coop in full sun year round but it doesn't get quite as hot up here. I didn't want mine in the shade as I like the coop to be able to dry out from rain, snow, and monsoon weather. I like that sun to hit the runs to help the mud dry! I figured that I could put something up to supply more shade in the summer when it gets really hot. I am definitely glad it's out in the sun during the winter - on the north/shady side, I still have remnants of snow and lots of mud - the rest of the yard is super dry! The other reason I chose out where I did was so they can get the benefit of the breeze coming through. Just some things to think about when deciding...

 

[GreatWhiteAfro]

I have my coop in full sun year round but it doesn't get quite as hot up here. I didn't want mine in the shade as I like the coop to be able to dry out from rain, snow, and monsoon weather. I like that sun to hit the runs to help the mud dry! I figured that I could put something up to supply more shade in the summer when it gets really hot. I am definitely glad it's out in the sun during the winter - on the north/shady side, I still have remnants of snow and lots of mud - the rest of the yard is super dry! The other reason I chose out where I did was so they can get the benefit of the breeze coming through. Just some things to think about when deciding...

Hmmm...decisions.....not sure if they would get a breeze on that side of the yard. I will have to check that out one day when it's windy. As for rain and wetness down here in Casa Grande, not too worried we don't get much I just didn't know if being shaded part of the day would have any adverse effect on them. I thought it would be better for them in the summer. I can always look into how hard it would be to move the coop in the winter months.

 

[countrygirl74]

Hmmm...decisions.....not sure if they would get a breeze on that side of the yard. I will have to check that out one day when it's windy. As for rain and wetness down here in Casa Grande, not too worried we don't get much I just didn't know if being shaded part of the day would have any adverse effect on them. I thought it would be better for them in the summer. I can always look into how hard it would be to move the coop in the winter months.

If it doesn't stay consistently wet and muddy on that side of the house, then having a shady spot where you live would probably be best. I would just make sure it's not ALL shade. My chickens do like to sunbathe.

 

[Demosthine]

Hey hope this helps.
Storing eggs that have not been touched on the counter, can be left on the counter for over a month..
We use our tongs to pick up our eggs.. They have a bloom covering the egg.. It is invisible, but when you wash them
Just before you use it you will be able to feel the bloom... I say it is like dog slobber, you can feel it but not see it..

We don't have enough room in our fridge to keep all of our eggs...
Plus I have been taking our eggs to work to show everyone the different sizes & colors.. No refrigeration needed... They love it..

Shouldn't the bloom dry out within a few hours and be able to be handled like a normal egg, less the water of course? I've never heard of anyone being that cautious handling eggs, you know, using tongs for them all. I'm not sure how long the drying process would be, though.

I decided to look it up and the Collecting, Cleaning and Storing Chicken Eggs from CleanCoops.Com sounds like the explanations I've been given so far. Maybe they should create a white-paper in the Learning Center about this. Of course, I am nowhere near an expert. Heck, I'm still waiting on my first eggs from the two Barred Rocks that we bought in October.

 

[City farm]

Shouldn't the bloom dry out within a few hours and be able to be handled like a normal egg, less the water of course?  I've never heard of anyone being that cautious handling eggs, you know, using tongs for them all.  I'm not sure how long the drying process would be, though.

I decided to look it up and the Collecting, Cleaning and Storing Chicken Eggs from CleanCoops.Com sounds like the explanations I've been given so far.  Maybe they should create a white-paper in the Learning Center about this.  Of course, I am nowhere near an expert.  Heck, I'm still waiting on my first eggs from the two Barred Rocks that we bought in October.

I am so glad that you do the "cut & paste" egg storing info... We got our info from an old timer.. I just trusted them... I personally won't
take the time to dry clean an egg.. When it is time to eat we rinse with H20.. Definitely no soap it does change the PH of the egg, so we
have heard... The old timers back in the day would use gloves... That is what they said... We decided to use thongs.. I take them to & fro..
It is easier to use the tongs... I think I would loose the gloves..
If I put in the fridge I would need to keep cold as I take the little cute eggs "to & fro".. The friends that have been eating our eggs have been
eating them with in a week.. So no refrigeration need at that point.. I do have a article on how to preserve eggs I will try to cut & paste..
Hey when we come by for the pot luck can I have a lesson on my iPad?

 

[City farm]

Ok here is some more information.. ENJOY...
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx

 

[Demosthine]

I am so glad that you do the "cut & paste" egg storing info... We got our info from an old timer.. I just trusted them... I personally won't
take the time to dry clean an egg.. When it is time to eat we rinse with H20.. Definitely no soap it does change the PH of the egg, so we
have heard... The old timers back in the day would use gloves... That is what they said... We decided to use thongs.. I take them to & fro..
It is easier to use the tongs... I think I would loose the gloves..
If I put in the fridge I would need to keep cold as I take the little cute eggs "to & fro".. The friends that have been eating our eggs have been
eating them with in a week.. So no refrigeration need at that point.. I do have a article on how to preserve eggs I will try to cut & paste..
Hey when we come by for the pot luck can I have a lesson on my iPad?

What I liked about that particular article was that it gives an explanation of why they recommend doing it a certain way. I wouldn't think that the period you're washing the eggs would be enough for the cold water to cause the yolk and whites to contract and pull anything in. I wouldn't expect the soap to be on long enough to change the pH, either. But I'm not a biologist, so I just have to try to find the sources that seem to be the most reliable.

I would have also referenced Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, but when I mentioned it on another thread, I was told that was stupid. They shouldn't have to buy a book just to get the information they requested. Storey's does have the same information as the link I posted, but I hadn't read that section until after my response and before your reply. Since I haven't even had a single egg yet, keeping a healthy flock and dealing with flock harmony has been more of a concern. The two oldest are picking at the three chicks more than they did with the Silkies. We're working on that integration at the moment. The chicks did pick up the fermented feed and the watering nipples immediately, though. Oh, and I was worried there for a bit about scaly leg mites with the two BRs. As far as I can find out, their legs are perfectly fine and it's just how they are. Being new to chickens and doing so much research, it puts bad things in the back of your mind.

Do you happen to have any other excellent guides for chicken keeping? I'm always looking for more information and I love the old-timer philosophies.


If I knew anything about iPads at all, I would definitely offer to give you a lesson. Unfortunately, I am an Android and Windows guy. I've never so much as held an iPad before.

 

[Rezia]

Finally...The moment we've all been waiting for... Pictures!


(Aurora)


(Ming Ming falling asleep on her face.)


(Aurora)


(Ming Ming)


(Kyle)


(Sleepy Jim!)


(Aurora and Kyle giving the camera 'the eye'.)


(R to L... Aurora, Kyle's bum, Buffy, and Toff.)


(Aurora)


(Jim)


(Sleepy Aurora)


(Ming Ming)


(Ming Ming)


(Ming Ming)


(Ming Ming and Toff and a spoonful of rice XD)


(Aurora)


(Ming Ming and Toff)


(Aurora)


same


same


Their one week b-day snack! Scrambled egg yolks!

Coop Pictures!

 

[Arizonachicken]

Hey hope this helps.
Storing eggs that have not been touched on the counter, can be left on the counter for over a month..
We use our tongs to pick up our eggs.. They have a bloom covering the egg.. It is invisible, but when you wash them
Just before you use it you will be able to feel the bloom... I say it is like dog slobber, you can feel it but not see it..
We don't have enough room in our fridge to keep all of our eggs...
Plus I have been taking our eggs to work to show everyone the different sizes & colors.. No refrigeration needed... They love it..

But I have little kids who love gathering eggs. If I send them out there with tongs, I'll have a bunch of broken eggs. The only reason I have so many in the fridge right now is because we were gone for 2 days. Otherwise, between cooking and eating they don't last long enough to take up room!