Cracked Eggs!!! GRRRRR!

[pattycake]

For the last two days, over HALF my eggs have been cracked! This is extremely annoying because we can't give away or sell cracked eggs, and as long as there's just a couple it's okay -- we just eat them. We get a dozen eggs a day, though, and can't keep up.

I think what happened is someone laid an egg from the roost or the top of the nest boxes and it broke. Then a certain hen (cough cough Betty Ford) realized that they're pretty tasty, so now she looks for eggs and pecks them. She doesn't eat them, just pecks them.

That plus the fact that they scratch the straw away from the nest box and stand up to lay: bang! Several eggs are dented on their pointy end.

I'm going to get some of those excelsior pads to soften the landing, but I don't know what to do about Betty.

My shells aren't thin at all -- the girls go through tons of oyster shell and I can barely crack them.

ARGGH!! I just needed to vent. I don't think I can modify the hen house to make a rollaway egg tray anytime soon.

This happen to anyone else? What did you do about it?

 

[nccountrygirl]

I had my first pecked egg Wed. It didnt break through the membrain though.

 

[picklespickles]

lol. poor old betty ford. even after going to the clinic......

i don't know what to tell you but you made me laugh.

 

[pattycake]

Yeah, she's not pecking through the membrane, so that's why I think they're okay for us to eat. But not our friends and neighbors!

Quote:
I know! My husband said, "What do you expect? She's an eggoholic!"

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I don't have any suggestions on fixing the problem, but wanted to mention that you could always freeze the cracked eggs, since you are getting so many at the moment. At least they wouldn't go to waste. I hope you can figure something out soon. What a pain.

We had two cracked eggs this morning, but it's because it's only in the single digits today and they froze, since somebody laid them outside in the run yesterday.

Chickens. Sometimes, they are just, chickens.

 

[Sparks]

Woodlandwoman..How do you freeze eggs?
Sounds like a good plan.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Here are a couple of links to the recipe section on freezing surplus eggs.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=19020

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=916

I haven't frozen eggs very often, as we have spoiled dogs that love a nice breakfast, if we get too many eggs in the house. Uncracked eggs store a long time in the refrigerator. I will also give eggs away to people, but only if I like them as much as my dogs.

They need to be cracked open and frozen in another container. You can either freeze multiple eggs in a larger container or use ice cube trays for individual egg amounts. I have to say that none of my ice cube trays will take a standard large size egg, they will only take 1/2 the amount. So for me, two cubes equals an egg.

When you are baking, the standard for recipes is a large egg. By volume, one large egg is 1/4 cup.

 

[Sparks]

Awesome...Thanks so much. Our neighbors have been enjoying our chickens so much (bringing left over garden treats) that they appreciate extra eggs. After baking for the Holidays there just might be some to freeze also.