Arizona Chickens

[BlueBaby]

I meant to include that it is my 1-year anniversary of Retirement.

I figured that's what you meant.

 

[DesertChic]

Question for anyone who can help me out...we have tried to hard boil our eggs several times and they just don't come out right. We use an egg timer and have tried rinsing them in ice water after boiling, but the shells don't peel away from the hard boiled egg like they should. What is the secret to hard boiling our farm fresh eggs? The eggs from the store don't seem to have this issue, but I know that's a different ballgame (they aren't as fresh, etc.)

When I hard boil fresh eggs I always use the cold water method. Add the eggs, a splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt and cold water. Bring the water to boil over high heat, then removed the pot and cover for roughly 23 minutes to allow the eggs to cook through. Immediately drain and plunge the cooked eggs into cold water, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to an hour covered in cold water. Drain the eggs, whack each one on the counter and then roll the egg to break up the shell a bit. Begin peeling at the air cell and keep going. It's not foolproof, but it works well enough to get mostly "clean" boiled eggs.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Question: For those of you who lock your chickens up at night BUT always keep the food and water outside, what time do you let them out in the morning? Their sleeping patterns are not like ours.

 

[nicollee]

I need to start a rule at my house: No carton? No eggs!

Try: Carton exchange, or $1extra
also save berry containers...
I only have a few hens, so 3-4extra eggs fit nicely in small berry boxes.

Question ..we have tried to hard boil our eggs several times and they just don't come out right. ... The eggs from the store don't seem to have this issue, but I know that's a different ballgame (they aren't as fresh, etc.)

The freshness is the issue... as eggs get older the shell quality changes, making them easier to peel once boiled.
always boil older eggs... When I was a kid, 4H told us eggs could be warehoused up to a year.... as an adult, I doubt the year part, but I know they can be stored a long time during slower times of the year.

 

[MagicChicken]

Thanks so much, and I'll check into that. My ex-boss raises cattle and I believe she and her (now grown) kids were involved in 4-H. I still have the phone directory for all the people at work.

Oh, today is my 1-year anniversary and don't have much to show for it, except for the new brats. Just spent another $265 for plywood, custom paint and feed and still need about 15 more 2x4's to reinforce the the top of my run so my hardware cloth won't sag.

You might want to consider using plywood to cover part of the run roof. It will provide more shade in the summer and also more shelter from rain, and it doesn't sag as much as hardware cloth. It can also help support any tarps you put over - especially if you plywood the center section of the run roof.

I had originally covered about half of my run roof with hardware cloth, and the other half was a solid roof. I wound up covering most of the hardware cloth roof with additional plywood for shade and rain protection. My run is 7' high, so it still gets a lot of sun coming in from the open (hardware cloth) front and sides. You don't want to block all of the sun, but the more solid shade they have in the summer the happier you all will be.

 

[MagicChicken]

Question: For those of you who lock your chickens up at night BUT always keep the food and water outside, what time do you let them out in the morning? Their sleeping patterns are not like ours.

I keep food and water in the structures the chickens are locked in, so the chickens always have access. I am a night person and the chickens are not. The down side of my technique is that those structures are not completely bird and squirrel proof, so the furry and flying thieves eat a LOT of chicken feed. And they often get trapped inside the structure, which is annoying for everybody. My birds have a lot of room and natural light in the structures they are locked into, so it doesn't matter if they are let out right away or not. Your mileage may vary.

 

[MagicChicken]

Try: Carton exchange, or $1extra
also save berry containers...
I only have a few hens, so 3-4extra eggs fit nicely in small berry boxes.

The freshness is the issue... as eggs get older the shell quality changes, making them easier to peel once boiled.
always boil older eggs... When I was a kid, 4H told us eggs could be warehoused up to a year.... as an adult, I doubt the year part, but I know they can be stored a long time during slower times of the year.

One time I scrambled some store-bought eggs that had been in my fridge for at least 9 months. They didn't make anyone sick, but they had lost all flavor and the yolks were as runny as the whites. When I put them on the table my dad stared at them for a moment. All he said was "interesting presentation." We both took a bite or two of those nasty eggs, and then we pitched them and went out for burgers.

 

[Bobby Basham]

You might want to consider using plywood to cover part of the run roof. It will provide more shade in the summer and also more shelter from rain, and it doesn't sag as much as hardware cloth. It can also help support any tarps you put over - especially if you plywood the center section of the run roof.

I had originally covered about half of my run roof with hardware cloth, and the other half was a solid roof. I wound up covering most of the hardware cloth roof with additional plywood for shade and rain protection. My run is 7' high, so it still gets a lot of sun coming in from the open (hardware cloth) front and sides. You don't want to block all of the sun, but the more solid shade they have in the summer the happier you all will be.

I already have a 12 x 20 ft heavy-duty tarp that I bought over a year ago. My run is 16 x 16 ft, and the tarp will cover all but the 4 x 8 observation deck and 4 x 8 ft area directly behind that spool of hardware cloth. The coop will be in the upper left hand corner, under the tarp when in use. I have several dozen eye-bolts to batten down the tarp, or can roll it back during the winter so the chickens can soak up some sunshine. It will also come in handy for those heavy monsoon rains.

When not in use, the hardware cloth will still be in place.

 

[Bobby Basham]

Ya, just in case, before i left, I took 4 dozen out of the cartons and put them in a small cardboard box. haha!!

In the Backyard Poultry Magazine, isn't there some "Egg Cartons.com" (or whatever) that sells large amounts of cartons real cheap? I don't have one in front of me right now.

 

[BlueBaby]

In the Backyard Poultry Magazine, isn't there some "Egg Cartons.com" (or whatever) that sells large amounts of cartons real cheap? I don't have one in front of me right now.

You mentioned that you go to church. Maybe you could ask some of the members there to start saving egg cartons for you.