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[oesdog]

Hi
Sissy to be honest I don't know if the egg issue is resolved??? I have scrubed everything down and disinfected everything two or three times now since getting back from holiday in October but the problem keeps rearing its head. Good news is I got three rather lovely looking good size eggs today. One was covered in chicken poop as some of the older girls are laying while asleep on the perch. Perhaps this is how an egg got bacteria in it???? Anyhow I took them and washed them all. Not a lot just run the cold water over them so there clean. I didn't scrub at them because I don't want to remove their natural protective layer. I have dumped another load of eggs. I have 6 left in another basket and so far they seem fine. They are about 6 days old but I get scared of leaving them longer as they go off around 10-12 days which is not right at all. Not all eggs just random ones and I know they are from different hens. I only have 10 eggs in the whole house now.

I can tell you it is most worrying to crack eggs less than 2 weeks old and find they are green/black inside! Also very smelly as you can imagine! I am hoping whatever the problem is it has been resolved. I really don;t know what else to do. I cannot wash the coop out because it's winter here and far too cold for it to dry. I would rather dump eggs than kill my birds by getting them damp and cold. So thats not an option until about April next year to be realistic.

I have no experience with Possems. We don't have them in Ireland.

Karl where are you when we need you?????????????????????????

Oesdog

 

[math ace]

Quote:
You should be using HOT water, at least 20 degrees hotter than room temp to wash the eggs. Cold water rinses allow the bacteria to enter the egg too ( at least from what I have read).

From my hatching experience, I absolutely believe the bacteria can enter the egg through a hen that pooped on them.

 

[karl E lutz]

GOOD MORNING CHICKEN WRANGLERS,
How have you been?I've been so busy I just work sleep and get fatter.Sissy The live trapping is a good idea,then kill them and make possum pie.Jed and jeffro loved it from what I remember.Oewsdog I hope the luck your having gets better and the rest of your eggs hatch out ok.
Gotta go to work God Bless!

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
Oh dear Karl - I am not hatching I AM EATING!!!! I think someone else was having hatching issues. Good your back!!!!

Oesdog

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
You should be using HOT water, at least 20 degrees hotter than room temp to wash the eggs. Cold water rinses allow the bacteria to enter the egg too ( at least from what I have read).

From my hatching experience, I absolutely believe the bacteria can enter the egg through a hen that pooped on them.

Thanks Math ace - I don;t usually clean the eggs just maybe a wipe down if they are really bad. - Another thread said it was bad to wash them so I never did in all the years I have had the chickens. So I know that my washing the new laid eggs in cold water this week is not the reason for all the bother with the eggs since October as I never did it before. I never thought of using HOT water because I guess I thought that eggs cook really fast so I didn;t want to do that incase I inadvertantly started boiling one?

I am not entirely sure what I should do now??????? I know this I had eggs there I used a few days ago. they were all under 10 days old at the time. They were hatched from 14th November - 24th. I found two bad eggs would you belive it. They were one laid on 14th and one laid on the 16th. One other egg laid on the 14th was fine got cooked and eaten and no one died! Then there were 2 other eggs laid on the 16th they were also fine got cooked and eaten. SO the off eggs are random. The December eggs are all in the new clean basket I only have 4 eggs in the house now all laid 1st Dec - so I can;t see them being off but you never know????? I am wondering about the red marker I use for dating them??? Could that be a cause???? But then I wrote on all the eggs not just the off ones??? The marker was changed at the start of October because my usual one ran out.

Oesdog

I am just hoping the issue has been resolved ( I HAVE NO CHRISTMAS BAKING EGGS!!!! DH will be sad!)

 

[CapricornFarm]

Do you have hens sitting on the eggs so they start incubating ? Maybe that is the problem.

 

[math ace]

Quote:
I use markers on mine all the time - - SHARPIE markers because I have marans eggs and pencil doesn't show up on them.
I don't think it is the marker.... What else could be the cause ? ?

I am have an idea... try emailing one of the universities that specialize in poulty and ask them.
The university of mississippi is one of those places. I think the university of Florida has a program too.

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
No - none of my girls are broody at the moment and the eggs are collected everyday sometimes twice a day. When I let them out and when I lock up I always check for eggs and none are left to sit ever! Only time I ever left eggs was when I wanted my broody to hatch them and then the broody was moved to a different pen.

Oesdog

 

[oesdog]

Quote:
I use markers on mine all the time - - SHARPIE markers because I have marans eggs and pencil doesn't show up on them.
I don't think it is the marker.... What else could be the cause ? ?

I am have an idea... try emailing one of the universities that specialize in poulty and ask them.
The university of mississippi is one of those places. I think the university of Florida has a program too.

Thanks anyhow. I am going to wait and see if this new basket will be ok. All the old eggs have gone from October and november now. As we had eggs for lunch I only have two eggs in my basket and they were laid today! So if they are off I really do have a problem! I wonder if chickens who get egg bound can lay off eggs????? Now that is a thought??? If a few of them were not laying because they were a bit well bunged up???? They tend to get massive eggs just before going off the lay. One of my girls died from a prolapse last year. Now that I think on it, maybe the eggs were older than I thought if my hen was keeping them inside her???? I never let eggs sit ever in the coop. Someone lost their flock on BYC because they didn't clear old eggs and the hens died of bochalism ( Sorry spelt wrong I expect). So after I heard that I never left eggs at all. If I have a cracked egg I lift it and all the bedding around it. Gosh I am begining to sound paranoid ( Also probably spelt wrong!)

DH is in bed much of these last few days. He is very low. I am frustrated with it all as I really need him to be well and focused. We did manged to put up a few of our Christmas decorations today between him resting which was good. I thought it might brighten him a bit but he went back to his bed again this afternoon. He said he felt ill and has a bad head. It is everyday though. He never ever stays up all day and is always ill.

Oesdog

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers
Oesdog I guess I don't understand?The eggs are rotting and you cannot figure why?Are the getting warm?I dont understand How they could get rotten unless they stay out in a warm place and the bacteria gets a chance to incubate.
There are regular cleaners that inhibit bacteria.do you take them in to the house and refrigerate them?
Well now i have to go and work again! Need to make money to pay for the holidays!Merry christmas!
God Bless!