Arizona Chickens

[Twinklin]

My girls are definitely pets to me. I named all 4. I'm a Pescetarian but my bf would kill them for food if I'd let him. I hope my birds all live long full lives but my bf and I decided when we got them that they aren't "take to the vet" type pets and if they get sick we'll do our best to help them ourselves but won't be spending a lot of money to save them. If it's something we can't fix and they could be in pain either he'll cull them or we'll take them to someone who will. They are #1 for eggs #2 for pets. I'm sure I'll be sad if one dies though.

 

[mckenzy]

My girls are definitely pets to me. I named all 4. I'm a Pescetarian but my bf would kill them for food if I'd let him. I hope my birds all live long full lives but my bf and I decided when we got them that they aren't "take to the vet" type pets and if they get sick we'll do our best to help them ourselves but won't be spending a lot of money to save them. If it's something we can't fix and they could be in pain either he'll cull them or we'll take them to someone who will. They are #1 for eggs #2 for pets. I'm sure I'll be sad if one dies though.

This is exactly how my family looks at our gals. Like a friend at work. Friend, yes. But if they or you quits, you never see or speak to each other again. Haha.

QUESTION!:

How long are freshly laid eggs, fresh? If you chill them in the fridge, vs leaving out. Clean them quickly? Leave them dirty? What's everyone's "best practices"?

 

[Demosthine]

This is exactly how my family looks at our gals. Like a friend at work. Friend, yes. But if they or you quits, you never see or speak to each other again. Haha.

QUESTION!:

How long are freshly laid eggs, fresh? If you chill them in the fridge, vs leaving out. Clean them quickly? Leave them dirty? What's everyone's "best practices"?

Have you read the How to Store Fresh Eggs article on Mother Earth News from many years ago? It was a pretty lengthy, involved experiment involving 60 dozen eggs. Yes, 60 dozen. That's 720 eggs! Even though times have changed, I think the methods still hold very much valid today.

Personally, we store them in the refrigerator for now, but only because I don't get enough eggs every week to have a nice supply going. With only three layers and this heat, it's been sort of slow going, considering we wipe out a dozen eggs in a single sitting with my family. That being said, once the others start laying, I'll go to storing them in the cabinets where it's cool, dark and most importantly, safe from the kids.



The last several threads I got involved with about this had numerous people saying they've kept them for several months at a time on their counters to nine months in the cellar without having any problems, provided you follow the basic rules of leaving natural eggs natural. Don't wash the bloom off until you're ready to use them. Just prior to use, you can wash the bloom off with water that is warmer than the eggs are. If you use colder water, it causes the contents to contract slightly and can "suck" bacteria inwards, whereas warm water does the opposite.

Also, the fresher eggs will be required for whipping up the egg whites and forming stiff peaks. As they age, they become significantly more difficult to work with for this. However, I find that the older eggs work far better for hard boiling. The shells separate easier, resulting in cleaner and nicer eggs. I try to keep a dozen eggs that are about three months old for hard boiling.

 

[Arizona Son]

QUESTION!:
How long are freshly laid eggs, fresh? If you chill them in the fridge, vs leaving out. Clean them quickly? Leave them dirty? What's everyone's "best practices"?

Properly stored, I have personally had them last 6 months in the fridge. They still looked & tasted the same as one week old eggs. I've heard from other people who've had refrigerated eggs that were 9 months old with no problems.

 

[wondertwinpower]

Quote:
THANK YOU SO MUCH for that information. I had never seen that article before, and it's fascinating!

 

[desertmarcy]

I've lost 3 RIRs last year. Two died of retained eggs and one passed in the humidity. IMO, RIRs tend to have issues with large eggs or too many eggs. I've had quite a few people tell me that their RIRs passed at 1 1/2 - 2 yrs with these problems too. This may all be because of the bloodlines they were from. I can't say I've seen anyone own a focused breeder RIR line in my area. Maybe it's a quality issue via hatcheries?

I have heritage RIRs and do a lot of reading on the Heritage Rhode Island Red thread. This is definitely an issue with hatchery type RIRs, which aren't true Rhode Island Reds at all, even though they call them that. They are Production Reds, crossed with other breeds to push egg production. They have many more reproductive problems than true RIRs. And the hatchery Production Red cockerels tend to be mean whereas heritage are not. Just like the big hatcheries selling Easter Eggers as Ameraucanas, I wish they would not call their Production Reds "Rhode Island Reds" because they give the real deal a bad name.

 

[Twinklin]

I have heritage RIRs and do a lot of reading on the Heritage Rhode Island Red thread. This is definitely an issue with hatchery type RIRs, which aren't true Rhode Island Reds at all, even though they call them that. They are Production Reds, crossed with other breeds to push egg production. They have many more reproductive problems than true RIRs. And the hatchery Production Red cockerels tend to be mean whereas heritage are not. Just like the big hatcheries selling Easter Eggers as Ameraucanas, I wish they would not call their Production Reds "Rhode Island Reds" because they give the real deal a bad name.

I have a hatchery red, PR RIR, she isn't developing as well as my other chickens. She hasn't grown much the last month. She's very small and runty looking. She's about 3 months now. She's extremely quiet as well, and very skittish, not mean though. I think she peeped as a tiny chick but in the past couple months I haven't heard a sound from her until today she made that awkward pullet goose sound once. She is also either slow or a loner. The other 3 girls will run off flapping to somewhere exciting and she stays where she was by herself and then a while later will realize she's alone. There's just something off about her.

 

[lmckeiver2236]

 

[lmckeiver2236]

I seem to be in a bit of a pickle. When I got my polish from the breeder I knew it was a straight run, but she agreed to take them back if they ended up not being hens. She took back the first one, and said she'd take back the 2nd one, buuut is no longer responding. I saw her in the store when we were picking up chicken feed (she works there), and asked her about it. I'm just not quite willing to stalk someone in order to give back a chicken. I don't even want a refund. She promised to contact me that evening after she found a place to put him... That was on the 19th. I txtd her on the 21st again, but nothing. This has been going on since the 15th. Turns out she ended up with a lot of Polish boys instead of girls. I understand this is a bummer, but I absolutely cannot have a rooster. At any rate since I'm getting more or less ignored and provided with no ETA for taking him back I'm thinking I need to find an alternate option. I don't want $$ for him, I just need him rehomed.

Any chance anyone would like a Polish Buff rooster? He's never been aggressive. Of course it takes a plan and some skills with dodging to catch him since he's a super jumpy chicken, but I would really prefer he go to a home that will either keep him or eat him. I just can't bring myself to kill him. He's a pet. I'm a wus. His name is PotPie (Pie for short), I think he's attempting to embody David Bowie with his hairdo. He hasn't started crowing, but he is showing a little too much interest in Peep. She's having none of it. I figure it's a matter of time until the crowing starts.

Here are a couple pics of him. I can try to get some better pics of him too.

I'm in Maricopa, but am not against putting him in a pet carrier and bringing him to the Chandler area if it means a home.

Did he find a home yet? I'd love to give him one. I live in Buckeye.

 

[tsuninight]

Got a taker for my Polish Roo. Thanks everyone who responded. Pie is going to his new home tomorrow.