Consolidated Kansas

[Ivywoods]

Glad ya'all are getting some rain. I've had enough, though. It has been raining off and on here for several days. Everything is pretty well soaked. The sun just poked its nose out from behind a break in the clouds, so that is a welcome sight.

 

[msjfrizzle]

Eggs!!

One of my girls has started laying eggs!! In fact, she's produced 9 eggs in 12 days, and they have been big- not little pullet eggs! I know, of course, pullets eventually lay eggs. Duh. It's just ridiculous how exciting it was to actually find a REAL egg in the nest with the fake ones. These are the three latest eggs-
I have smallish hands, but the eggs ARE big and delicious!! I ate them for lunch! They are from Helga, who is a Sussex/ chantecler cross.

 

[rittert3]

That is great that your pullets are starting to lay msjfrizzle, I've always lived where I was a "chicken outlaw" so I havn't been able to keep mine long enough to experience this excitment. There is also a largish auction in yates center but I have never been to it and don't know the schedule, I do know my freind Don goes everytime.

 

[justinwrites]

That's awesome! My hens are now playing hide n seek by laying in my sweet potato patch

 

[tazcat70]

Yeah for rain! I am so happy you got some Katy! Did any collect in your ponds?

So jealous of the eggs. I have several that are 5.5 mos old and nothing! I thought maybe I had one start laying, but I don't think so.

These are EE's so no 30 week waiting.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
I don't know if any ran off into the ponds, but no more than we got and as slow as it fell I don't think there was probably much run-off. At least it rained!!

 

[justinwrites]

So I'm to the point now where I'm getting more eggs than my family can really eat. We could, but we shouldn't actually. So I've been giving them to my neighbors who have a lot of kids and go through an enormous amount of store bought eggs. I've been cleaning them with a damp towel and a quick bleach water (diluted... a lot) dip.

But I'm sorta a paranoid and know good intentions don't fly very far. So if it isn't really expensive I thought maybe I ought to wash my eggs by government spec. Does anyone know what Kansas requires off hand?

 

[chicken danz]

Frizzle, Congrats on the eggs. Justin, don't wash your eggs unless they are really dirty. Mother nature has the best defense. The vent in a hen closes off so it won't allow any feces to touch an egg as it is hatched. There is a substance secreted called bloom that coats the egg. This is a protective layer and sealer of sorts. If you wash it off you ruin the longevity of an egg. Europeans NEVER wash eggs because it is so much better if you don't. Also I would never use bleach water to wash an egg for human consumption. Bleach will leach into the egg itself and bleach is toxic. I sell eggs to some food establishments and I only wash those that get dirty before I gather them. I simply use warm water.
The best defense is to gather your eggs as soon as you can and leave them like nature provided. You can check this info on line in several places.
We got more rain today.
Ivy I think you've just been hogging rain all summer while the rest of us have been praying for it. I think we all would have been happier if it were spread around a little more even.

 

[rittert3]

Quote:
I was thinking I'd heard about the natural protective coating but itn't wan't to say something and risk being wrong. But those egg washer kits ARE kind of pricey, over $100 through mcmurray.
I agree with danz, because I've heard that washed eggs don't stay good as long either.

 

[justinwrites]

Hmmm, I knew about the bloom. But I'm a titch squeemish about the idea of not sanitizing anything that has been in the hen house before putting it in my fridge.

The bleach solution I've been using is significantly more diluted than what would be used as a sanitary dip in restaurants (and is unrinsed) and I figured that would be okay. I see there is a collection of "enzyme solutions" on the web, but I'm not sure I'm into investing that much.

Surely there must be a middle ground. I'm not over worried about a week of usability lost because I washed off the bloom but I am concerned about ingesting an inordinate amount of chlorine.