Consolidated Kansas

[maidenwolfx80]

I dont wash my eggs either. I never will. I have dry wiped them with a paper towel but never asctually wash. The ones I give away to family and the ones I plan on giving away will not be washed either the eggs are not usally very dirty,sometimes a stripe of poo from a toe hitting it but not a huge deal. I explain to people why I do not wash and if they dont like that then I have no problem taking my eggs back. All of the in-laws aunts, uncles gmas etc on his side were all raised in the city unlike my family who were country folk, look at some of my practices alien. They are the germaphobe, clean, everything has to be new, and WAY less than homemade anything and so my dirty eggs were just too much. "Sigh" Oh well I tried huh?

 

[mommahen10]

Danz, incubators really are simple. I look at the expensive big ones and I think I could buy a cheap new refrigerator and make one for less money. I say I, but I have a crew to work together here. We didn't get to building another one today, but I do have the temp stable so I'm going to hatch these as is and make some adjustments later. We don't have the window in, that's going to kill me. I can see through the crack in the lid though if they are in the right spot. We are using an old cooler. Our neighbor gave it to me to build a watering system, it had obvious damage on the outside where the shell was peeling and cracking away. After I scrubbed it I found a small crack on the inside. I'm guessing the outside cracked from water freezing and expanding between the layers. It doesn't matter for this though, I like the double lid so I can open just one side if need to peek. I've already got chicks pipped in there, wasn't expecting hatch until Thursday. Mine are always always early.
My 11 yo is a girl. She's just so inbetween being a girl and a teen. Thanks for checking on those cars for me, I appreciate it. I was hoping the more stores that were checked for them the better my chances of finding just the cars.

Trish, I'm cracking up with your ax murderers. If only they knew.

My EE's foot seems to be doing better, she's walking on it but with a struggle. I'm glad she's up. It's a miracle. I was so scared this was it for her. I still have the one that has the bad eye, she's still smaller than the others but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. They all have different coloring. How would I get an EE roo? If I breed EEs then what do you get? Their colors would have to get weird. Daniel our big roo is looking older nowadays. Remember we removed his spurs a while back? His spurs seem to be shrinking now and more rounded. His legs look all bumpy and yucky now too. What's up with that? We still aren't getting many eggs, about 4 per day. We've caught 2 right after laying and marked them with a zip tie. We also tried the food coloring thing but we only had 5 colors to work with so either it didn't work or we happened to mark 5 that weren't laying. I know some are still molting, but if we are to a point that they're just getting too old to lay maybe it's time to refresh most of the flock. I should have new pullets ready to go soon. I'm loving the orpingtons too. Those little girls, when I go in to feed them will just follow me right back out. I always squat down to talk to them when they follow me. Toby isn't so sure of me as the girls are. My dh and I were out talking about what we need next, we decided on building another 3 pens. One for the pullets for sale, one for the barred rocks, and another just so I can separate them out at times. Like to see who's laying and who's not. The orpingtons look really happy in their pen, they still have some green grass in there and they aren't too crowded at all. There are 5 pullets and Toby. The layer coop looks way too crowded to me. They moved their fence over and all of the grass is already gone. I've got some young roos in there too, but they'll gradually come out of there. I just wish I knew how to better tell who's laying and who's not.

Lizzy, your eggs should really be fine especially since it's cool/cold out. I would be more hesitant in the summer. I don't wash eggs I inucbate. I don't wash eggs I leave out. I wash eggs I give to others because I think they expect clean eggs and my parents would freak if I gave them dirty eggs, I'm just sure of it. Part of it is just getting over what I'm used to, and I'm not there yet. I used to wash them all no matter what so I guess I'm doing better. BUT, even if I leave the eggs out and don't wash them while they're sitting there, I still wash them before I crack them. I'm scared I'm putting germs from the outside into the egg that we are eating. I could probably deal with it if I knew I was going to cook the egg through in something, but I would have to talk myself through it. It could just be a matter of habit too. What about fried eggs where you leave the yolk uncooked? I probably worry too much.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

How long can an egg sit outside (without the hen/duck/goose sitting on it) before it is no longer good to eat?

I added a goose and gander to my flock a week ago this past Friday. On Sunday, I found my first egg from the goose. I had been checking for eggs every morning since, but I apparently wasn't doing a very good job of looking. When I went out this evening to clean out the cage they had been staying in (an extra large dog cage with a tarp on it), I found two eggs. I know that they can't be more than 9 days old, though I have no way of knowing exactly how old they are. Are they safe for humans to eat?

Also, when I've received eggs from people, they are never washed. Is there a reason to NOT wash eggs intended for eating?

ETA: It has not gotten above 55 during the day, and the low has been in the 20's. There are no visible cracks anywhere in the eggs.

Yea!! on the goose eggs. Those embden eggs are big. Geese are experts at hiding eggs for sure, and at least mine do not just lay in the morning. I would catch some laying at various times of the day. When I used a big dog house with lots of hay, I would check UNDER the hay and find eggs.

I agree with the others that the eggs you found should be just fine for eating. If you are concerned, breaking them into a bowl to make sure can be a good practice, or just candle them first. Goose eggs are usually easy to candle with a good light.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I dont wash my eggs either. I never will. I have dry wiped them with a paper towel but never asctually wash. The ones I give away to family and the ones I plan on giving away will not be washed either the eggs are not usally very dirty,sometimes a stripe of poo from a toe hitting it but not a huge deal. I explain to people why I do not wash and if they dont like that then I have no problem taking my eggs back. All of the in-laws aunts, uncles gmas etc on his side were all raised in the city unlike my family who were country folk, look at some of my practices alien. They are the germaphobe, clean, everything has to be new, and WAY less than homemade anything and so my dirty eggs were just too much. "Sigh" Oh well I tried huh?

Lizzy, your eggs should really be fine especially since it's cool/cold out. I would be more hesitant in the summer. I don't wash eggs I inucbate. I don't wash eggs I leave out. I wash eggs I give to others because I think they expect clean eggs and my parents would freak if I gave them dirty eggs, I'm just sure of it. Part of it is just getting over what I'm used to, and I'm not there yet. I used to wash them all no matter what so I guess I'm doing better. BUT, even if I leave the eggs out and don't wash them while they're sitting there, I still wash them before I crack them. I'm scared I'm putting germs from the outside into the egg that we are eating. I could probably deal with it if I knew I was going to cook the egg through in something, but I would have to talk myself through it. It could just be a matter of habit too. What about fried eggs where you leave the yolk uncooked? I probably worry too much.

Thank you all for the input about the eggs! My husband asked me to wash them before I put them in the fridge. HE's worried about contaminating the other food in the fridge. What do you do about that? These eggs are much too large to put in an egg carton, so I don't have much choice but to just lay them on a shelf.

 

[mommahen10]

I wouldn't worry about them contaminated other food especially if the food is covered. You could put them in a bowl I guess. I always think they're so much fresher than at the store anyway they don't have as much time for bacterial growth. I'm sure it won't cause any problems. We've had our own eggs for years and it's never been a problem at all.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Danz, incubators really are simple. I look at the expensive big ones and I think I could buy a cheap new refrigerator and make one for less money. I say I, but I have a crew to work together here. We didn't get to building another one today, but I do have the temp stable so I'm going to hatch these as is and make some adjustments later. We don't have the window in, that's going to kill me. I can see through the crack in the lid though if they are in the right spot. We are using an old cooler. Our neighbor gave it to me to build a watering system, it had obvious damage on the outside where the shell was peeling and cracking away. After I scrubbed it I found a small crack on the inside. I'm guessing the outside cracked from water freezing and expanding between the layers. It doesn't matter for this though, I like the double lid so I can open just one side if need to peek. I've already got chicks pipped in there, wasn't expecting hatch until Thursday. Mine are always always early.
My 11 yo is a girl. She's just so inbetween being a girl and a teen. Thanks for checking on those cars for me, I appreciate it. I was hoping the more stores that were checked for them the better my chances of finding just the cars.

Trish, I'm cracking up with your ax murderers. If only they knew.

My EE's foot seems to be doing better, she's walking on it but with a struggle. I'm glad she's up. It's a miracle. I was so scared this was it for her. I still have the one that has the bad eye, she's still smaller than the others but it doesn't seem to bother her at all. They all have different coloring. How would I get an EE roo? If I breed EEs then what do you get? Their colors would have to get weird. Daniel our big roo is looking older nowadays. Remember we removed his spurs a while back? His spurs seem to be shrinking now and more rounded. His legs look all bumpy and yucky now too. What's up with that? We still aren't getting many eggs, about 4 per day. We've caught 2 right after laying and marked them with a zip tie. We also tried the food coloring thing but we only had 5 colors to work with so either it didn't work or we happened to mark 5 that weren't laying. I know some are still molting, but if we are to a point that they're just getting too old to lay maybe it's time to refresh most of the flock. I should have new pullets ready to go soon. I'm loving the orpingtons too. Those little girls, when I go in to feed them will just follow me right back out. I always squat down to talk to them when they follow me. Toby isn't so sure of me as the girls are. My dh and I were out talking about what we need next, we decided on building another 3 pens. One for the pullets for sale, one for the barred rocks, and another just so I can separate them out at times. Like to see who's laying and who's not. The orpingtons look really happy in their pen, they still have some green grass in there and they aren't too crowded at all. There are 5 pullets and Toby. The layer coop looks way too crowded to me. They moved their fence over and all of the grass is already gone. I've got some young roos in there too, but they'll gradually come out of there. I just wish I knew how to better tell who's laying and who's not.

Lizzy, your eggs should really be fine especially since it's cool/cold out. I would be more hesitant in the summer. I don't wash eggs I inucbate. I don't wash eggs I leave out. I wash eggs I give to others because I think they expect clean eggs and my parents would freak if I gave them dirty eggs, I'm just sure of it. Part of it is just getting over what I'm used to, and I'm not there yet. I used to wash them all no matter what so I guess I'm doing better. BUT, even if I leave the eggs out and don't wash them while they're sitting there, I still wash them before I crack them. I'm scared I'm putting germs from the outside into the egg that we are eating. I could probably deal with it if I knew I was going to cook the egg through in something, but I would have to talk myself through it. It could just be a matter of habit too. What about fried eggs where you leave the yolk uncooked? I probably worry too much.

My incubator is holding steady at 100, if I unplug a hole it dips to 98-97 if I plug a couple up it goes to 101. This morning I got up to it being 103, I am terrified that I killed what could have been growing, I set them mon so I dont know if they are ok. I readjusted and it is back to 100 so I am leaving it threre. It will hold at 100 steadily so I am going to go for it.

My dd and I eat over easy eggs. I normally eat this for breakfast 3-4 times a week. I dont wash mine at all.. except (which I have only found this once, a hen takes a messy one on top.. Nice gift

... then I wash and use first. Everyone has their own ways of doing things and certainly it is not wrong to wash them. You feel more secure doing it this way so do it. What ever us mothers can do to reduce even alittle stress in our busy chicken brained lives is all the better.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Thank you all for the input about the eggs! My husband asked me to wash them before I put them in the fridge. HE's worried about contaminating the other food in the fridge. What do you do about that? These eggs are much too large to put in an egg carton, so I don't have much choice but to just lay them on a shelf.

I wonder if you couldnt fashion something special to hold the eggs?

 

[lizzyGSR]

I wouldn't worry about them contaminated other food especially if the food is covered. You could put them in a bowl I guess. I always think they're so much fresher than at the store anyway they don't have as much time for bacterial growth. I'm sure it won't cause any problems. We've had our own eggs for years and it's never been a problem at all.

Thank you for the input! I will show your responses to my DH.

My dd and I eat over easy eggs. I normally eat this for breakfast 3-4 times a week. I dont wash mine at all.. except (which I have only found this once, a hen takes a messy one on top.. Nice gift

... then I wash and use first. Everyone has their own ways of doing things and certainly it is not wrong to wash them. You feel more secure doing it this way so do it. What ever us mothers can do to reduce even alittle stress in our busy chicken brained lives is all the better.

Thank you for the input! I will show your responses to my DH.

I wonder if you couldnt fashion something special to hold the eggs?

Now that you mention it, I think I've heard of egg carts for duck eggs. I wonder if they make them for goose eggs too and how much they would cost... I'll do some research on that.

Does anyone else have geese whose eggs they eat? Where do you put your eggs in the refrigerator since they obviously won't fit in an egg carton?

 

[chicken danz]

I've been going since 6:00 AM and didn't have my normal relax, coffee, and read. I feel like my day should be over all ready. I went to a retirement breakfast and that used a couple hours. I got home and started watering. Then shoveled off 1200 pounds of feed into barrels, then fed all the birds. I think every one should be ready for a storm if they have the sense to go into their pens and houses. No work on the dog house. There just isn't time today. I need to shift gears and head to Topeka to do some quick shopping before the storm gets here, but judging from the weather outside I think it will arrive a lot earlier than they thought. I do have some things I have to have by Christmas day. I also want to look for those cars for Mammahen.
My granddaughter just turned 12 so she is semi close to the age of your daughter. I know what you mean. When she was here this summer I bought her some fun movies geared for young children. And they were pretty cheap. I also bought her a couple dresses (she likes wearing dresses) and some earrings with cute animals on them. I watched her and anything animal related was her thing. Kind of grown up things like jewelry but in kid forms like animal figures. She was looking for a necklace too but couldn't find any cutesy enough to suit her.
I looked at Walmart and they have a few men's jackets that are probably cheaper than Orchlens. I think they were dickies.
If I happen to make it to Topeka and find one I will text you, Mammahen and tell you.
I realized this morning that I hadn't paid my car insurance and it was due in two days. I hate having things like that and taxes come due in December because it strains the budget further and it is just too easy to forget about.
I'd better get moving.

 

[HEChicken]

I realized this morning that I hadn't paid my car insurance and it was due in two days. I hate having things like that and taxes come due in December because it strains the budget further and it is just too easy to forget about.

Me too! My car insurance comes due Dec 1st, and property taxes are due on Dec 20th. I wish they would set the payment date for property taxes to be a different time of year - having them due 5 days before Christmas is really hard on a lot of people. At least my other house sold so I didn't have to pay taxes on it as well....