California - Northern

[ronott1]

Originally Posted by MossyoakLane

Ugh......I am so frustrated! My BA has decided to try this broody thing out....so now I have 2 out of 5 broody girls in that pen, and only 3 nest boxes. Is the broody bug contagious? They just started laying in the past 1-2 months....I didn't plan for broodies so soon. If she sticks, I guess I will give her half of the eggs my partridge wyandotte is sitting on.

In unrelated news, I have one hen who lays eggs that have a very thin albumen....like water almost. Is this something to worry about or just the way she is?

albumin get "thinner" as the hen ages.

I would not worry about it--jut not bake with them.

It seems like thin albumen is a problem for the fast food industry. Protein-higher makes albumen thicker but only somewhat. It is a bit inherited but not so much and is better if an unrelated rooster is used for breeding.

The one cause may be the amount of time spent in the shell gland since thicker shelled eggs had the thinnest albumen.

It sounds like it is genetic.

 

[lawatt]

Local on BYC

debs_flock
sunnydawn
highNDryFarm

Local Breeders:

http://www.sweeth2o.us/

http://www.heavensentranch.com/

i am working on getting a decent starter group of birchen marans, and with any luck, might have eggs next spring... *knock on wood*

 

[chickee]

It seems like thing albumen is a problem for the fast food industry. Protein-higher makes albumen thicker but only somewhat. It is a bit inherited but not so much and is better if an unrelated rooster is used for breeding.

The one cause may be the amount of time spent in the shell gland since thicker shelled eggs had the thinnest albumen.

It sounds like it is genetic.

Interesting what you found. Guess there are many causes. I was curious about this too, so I looked into it and found an article at My Pet Chicken and it said that besides old eggs having watery whites, high ammonia levels in the coop can cause watery egg whites, as can hight temps during summer. Also there are some diseases that can cause this, such as Egg Drop Syndrome and Bronchitis.

 

[tommysgirl]

She is beautiful! I love the chocolate color! I have a WC chocolate cuckoo Polish hen that is real pretty. I would work on that color if I were you

I got her egg in a "hen's choice" grab bag from ChooksChick this spring. Hatched a cockerel out too but he had to go since I already had my Del cockerel and a NH roo. Now Renee is not working with chocolates any more but I think Sparky Crows may be continuing the project. I hope to get a couple more girls and maybe at some point I will be able to work with the color. I am a numb nuts when it comes to genetics though so maybe I will just keep some pullets and hens for the novelty. According to Renee she was the only one working with chocolate barred rocks.

My pullets are not that friendly yet, just curious and self confident. The roosters are whimps, which is fine since they are totally non-aggressive. I really like them. They have not started laying, so I am anxious to see their egg color. My rooster comes from a dark egg, so he should improve type and egg color in the next generation. I have been told it is the male that passes on good egg color. I will be posting pictures as soon as I get my first egg!

I won't be ready for awhile. I am adding picking a couple of Dorkings this fall an SPR, and a couple of New Hampshire girls this spring and hopefully i will have room for a couple of Mottled Javas a Blue Isbar and a Creme Legbar later on..oh and some fizzled Cochin but they don't count. DH is indulgent but I don't want to push it

Anyway by the time I am ready you will probably be on your third generation.

Ugh......I am so frustrated! My BA has decided to try this broody thing out....so now I have 2 out of 5 broody girls in that pen, and only 3 nest boxes. Is the broody bug contagious? They just started laying in the past 1-2 months....I didn't plan for broodies so soon. If she sticks, I guess I will give her half of the eggs my partridge wyandotte is sitting on.

In unrelated news, I have one hen who lays eggs that have a very thin albumen....like water almost. Is this something to worry about or just the way she is?

one of my BAl just weaned her brood about 3 weeks ago and she has been making noises about broodiness almost ever since. Now it appears she may have infected her fellow BAl with the broody bug. Both have them have been glued to the nest boxes all day.

It seems like thin albumen is a problem for the fast food industry. Protein-higher makes albumen thicker but only somewhat. It is a bit inherited but not so much and is better if an unrelated rooster is used for breeding.

The one cause may be the amount of time spent in the shell gland since thicker shelled eggs had the thinnest albumen.

It sounds like it is genetic.

Thanks for asking Mossy and thanks for answering Ron. I have a girl who lays a watery egg too. I was worried it might interfere with fertility but it doesn't look like it.

 

[MossyoakLane]

It seems like thin albumen is a problem for the fast food industry. Protein-higher makes albumen thicker but only somewhat. It is a bit inherited but not so much and is better if an unrelated rooster is used for breeding.

The one cause may be the amount of time spent in the shell gland since thicker shelled eggs had the thinnest albumen.

It sounds like it is genetic.

Interesting. Thank you for researching this. I could have done it too, but was lazy and hoping maybe someone had run across the same problem...LOL

Interesting what you found. Guess there are many causes. I was curious about this too, so I looked into it and found an article at My Pet Chicken and it said that besides old eggs having watery whites, high ammonia levels in the coop can cause watery egg whites, as can hight temps during summer. Also there are some diseases that can cause this, such as Egg Drop Syndrome and Bronchitis.

Well, High ammonia levels shouldn't be an issue, temp shouldn't be an issue as we are in Sonoma County....she doesn't seem to have any other egg problems and lays 6 out of 7 days so Egg Drop Syndrome is out, and I am pretty sure it's not bronchitis. But still great info for the future.....

She is my hatchery BO, who is more a buff colored leghorn than a BO. She is so flighty.....and built just like a petite leghorn.

She has layed like this since her first egg. So I think I will chalk it up to bad breeding at this point

 

[HighNDryFarm]

Thank you! That's sweet of you, however I found the sneaky girl today!

My gosh, this reminds me of our missing hen a few years ago, we found her too. Looks like the same type of plants your girl chose....

I put a wire fence around her, best I could, it was into a side of a hill, and I moved her after all the chicks hatched. She was the only broody who didn't go broody in the laying boxes. It's not good for them to hide out without protection but I sure hate when they mess up the laying by setting in the laying boxes!

Glad you found her.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

well summer is going out with a bang.
we are still having moderate rain and a good stiff breeze.
its 55 outside right now

 

[liz9910]

Wow 10 minutes ago it started POURING in Modesto!! Wow it's crazy thunder and lightening and everything so cool.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Wow 10 minutes ago it started POURING in Modesto!! Wow it's crazy thunder and lightening and everything so cool.

Well then its moving down to you, because it left here about 20 minutes ago. My dog did not appreciate the thunder and lightning - or the hail... It was so dense I lost my satellite connection so I couldn't even get online!

 

[chiqita]

it JUSt stopped here a second ago. I had to chase the turkeys under the porch, stupid things. I got soaked to the BONE i'm still drying off. No thunder here, no fair!