Dippy Eggs

[DaFlockinLeader]

Anybody else have the problem of trying to make dippy eggs for toast in the morning. I have free range eggs and they cook any other way but dippy eggs don't come out very dippy. Any reason why?

 

[azygous]

Please explain "dippy" eggs.

 

[DaFlockinLeader]

Dippy eggs. Like sunny side up or etc. You cook the egg but the yolk is still runny so you can dip your toast in the yolk. But they don't stay, the yolk will usually always pop before you get it to the plate. Lol its hard to explain without showing in person really but somebody has got to know what I'm talking about lol sorry I can't really be more specific.

 

[aart]

Some yolks are more delicate than others.
Are your bird new layers?
What and how exactly are you feeding?

 

[azygous]

Dippy eggs. Now I get it.

It may or may not correlate with free ranging that the yolks aren't stable. It's more likely it's an individual issue. Hens may absorb nutrients differently than others. Or it could be the quality of their feed. Even free ranging chickens need a balanced feed.

You might consider fermenting your feed, and feed once a day as long as your chickens are getting a lot of their nutrition from free ranging. I believe it's possible you would see a big difference within a few months.

 

[DaFlockinLeader]

I've always gave them hog feed. They don't normally get much usually like 3 handfuls before I feed my hogs and then they free range after that. I've never had any problems raising then or anything with it. It's the same consistency most of the same ingredients as starter grower kinda like a powder from crushed up corn and grains etc. I do also provide them calcium chips. They are new hens sort of. Obviously they are laying by now but they are not a year old. They will be a year old in February. Eggs are large and brown and always taste great I just like dippy eggs and usually 7 out of 10 times the dippy eggs don't work. Not a huge ordeal but I just wonder if it's just them or a sign of something like a vitamin there not getting or something with the feed. It could be the feed but I've never had a problem with it before. I've even raised meat chickens on it and it works out just fine its just a little less protein (16% instead of 20%) so usually ill grow them for an extra week or two and they grow just as big and my price cost is cut almost in half but then again I wonder if it's the case of maybe there to the point where they need a layer feed or something like that including that it is colder since winters almost here if that has anything to do with it

 

[azygous]

That could be your problem. If it was me, I would spring for a bag of all flock feed, (Purina Flock Raiser is what I feed.) and feed out the bag and see if it makes a difference.

If you start getting consistently "dippy eggs", you will then know for sure that chickens do better on a feed formulated for chickens and not hogs.

Call it a science experiment.

 

[aart]

The hog feed may not (probably not) have the same vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that chickens needs and would be in chicken feed.

 

[DaFlockinLeader]

Possibly. I have raised them for awhile now and I have raised well over a couple hundred birds. I'm at about 60 right now (since its almost winter so i have about 30 layers and 20 meat chickens and like 10 chicks) and never had problems with the hog feed. I do agree with the vitamins and stuff and I've tried over and over to find facts and on how it's different and read all kinds of forums and some people agree and some don't. It's like trying to talk politics with people stating facts and opinions from both sides and it never gets solved but that's a whole not her discussion lol. They do also receive table scraps and all kinds of goodies and free ranging as much as the want and they get into the goats feed all the time too once I feed them later in the day so I'm not sure if that has an effect at all or something. Maybe there getting what they need from around the farm at the same time once they fill up from the hog feed in the morning or what. I've even raise turkeys (free range also) and have never had a problem with them either and they need a way higher protein diet but there bigger turkeys then anyone around here. So I do wanna agree with that the feed may be the problem but then again I've never had any problems with it and for 8 bucks for a 50lbs bag I can't really complain. The only issue was the eggs don't become dippy sometimes lol. There great any other way though.

 

[aart]

Possibly. I have raised them for awhile now and I have raised well over a couple hundred birds. I'm at about 60 right now (since its almost winter so i have about 30 layers and 20 meat chickens and like 10 chicks) and never had problems with the hog feed. I do agree with the vitamins and stuff and I've tried over and over to find facts and on how it's different and read all kinds of forums and some people agree and some don't. It's like trying to talk politics with people stating facts and opinions from both sides and it never gets solved but that's a whole not her discussion lol. They do also receive table scraps and all kinds of goodies and free ranging as much as the want and they get into the goats feed all the time too once I feed them later in the day so I'm not sure if that has an effect at all or something. Maybe there getting what they need from around the farm at the same time once they fill up from the hog feed in the morning or what. I've even raise turkeys (free range also) and have never had a problem with them either and they need a way higher protein diet but there bigger turkeys then anyone around here. So I do wanna agree with that the feed may be the problem but then again I've never had any problems with it and for 8 bucks for a 50lbs bag I can't really complain. The only issue was the eggs don't become dippy sometimes lol. There great any other way though.

Have you always had problems with 'premature yolk breakage'?
How long have you been raising layers?
Even tho you free range it could be a stress issue if your coop is too small for all the birds you have.
Do you have birds laying all over the range area or do they come back to the coop to lay?

You would have to read the ingredient lists carefully on both the hog feed and on a bag of decent chicken ration and compare them yourself.
Even that might not tell you, because the labels I have read do not give amounts of the minerals, vitamins, amino acids.
Or do as azygous suggests and get a bag of chicken ration and see if it makes a difference.