Dumbest Things People Have Said About Your Chickens/Eggs/Meat - Part 2 : Chicken Boogaloo.

[Frazzemrat1]

I just got a new one, and I was shocked to hear it from my husband.
When we first got our first set of chicks, I did a ton of research, which is how I found BYC. Ive told my husband a lot of what I've learned over the years...

So fast forward to the other night. He tells me that he's not looking forward to having to kill the chickens. I'm like WHAT?! Why would you have to kill the chickens?! (we have layers and haven't had meat birds at all). He said his grandfather had the regular white chickens that lay white eggs, and after two years they'd stop laying and they'd have to kill them and eat them. And that the food we're feeding them makes them lay more at a faster rate and that they'll burn out sooner.
So, I ask... What did your grandfather feed his chickens? He said corn sometimes, but otherwise whatever they found out in the fields. That because we feed ours food, instead of making them hunt for their food, we're making them lay more. That he'll have to kill them when their two.

OooooKay. Those first chicks we got was over 2 years ago, and I feed my chickens all flock... sooooo Nope, nothing that's gonna turn them into egg machines. Of course, sounds like Grandpa had leghorns, which pretty much are egg machines...

Oh, and ETA..> I should add that Grandpa had tons of acreage down in Texas. If he wanted to, he could let his chickens free roam wide enough to probably find most of their own food, but that they should have had feed offered too. My chickens live on an acre and are locked in their run most of the day when we're not home.

 

[Hinotori]

I get an egg or two a week from my three 8 year old EE hens. They control the flock so they have that job and I don't need their eggs. They also still eat bugs and do yard work.

Great grandma had an egg business back until the early 70s. She would order chicks from the feed store. They were white birds that did not have the body shape of leghorns according to my Mom and Great aunt. Most layed white eggs, some layed brown. Great grandma culled them after three years when production dropped too much. The only chicken they ever ate was old hen or the very rare young rooster.

Grandma also would get a few of these chickens as they were pretty much the only ones the feed store carried without special ordering. They dressed out at around 2 pounds. A few pullets were kept as layer replacements until the next year.

I find myself explaining to older family often that the bird type that was raised when they were young is not what is available now. There were no heritage breeds in the area. A few people did have barnyard mixes that by that time were probably their own landrace breed.

Some older cousins have tried to feed me horse pucky on how Great grandma raise her birds and what she fed them. "Oh all chickens need is a bit of corn. That's all she fed them."

My Great aunt and Grandma actually had to do a lot of the bird care growing up. Even Mom remembers helping haul in the different grains so Great grandma could mix them for feed. As a little kid all I ever did was get to help toss a little scratch and collect eggs.

 

[7 Biddies]

Alrighty, then. Someone on Quora just asked, "Do chickens lie down to lay eggs?"

Sure, and they put their little feet in stirrups, too.

I love it when they talk about chickens giving birth or chicks "being born", as well.

 

[bigmrg74]

I've been away from people for about 2.5 months, nothing really new to add to the thread here.

 

[BuckeyeAmy69]

A guy I used to work with (he had chickens too) enjoyed sharing his "wisdom" with me on occasion. He once told me that fertile eggs had more cholesterol in them. He also believed that the nutritional content of brown eggs was different from white eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

He also believed that the nutritional content of brown eggs was different from white eggs.

Growing up I was always told that brown eggs were more nutritious because they were farm eggs not commercial eggs.

The theory being that hens which ate a more varied diet and got outside instead of being kept in battery cages would lay eggs that not only tasted better but were also more nutritious.

I guess we didn't know that the brown eggs in the grocery store came from brown-layer battery hens.

 

[Acre4Me]

My neighbor grew up raising Leghorns. So, he cannot eat anything except a white egg. He says that anything other than a white egg tastes different and bad. He’s convinced that egg shell color changes the taste.

 

[Rammy]

A guy I used to work with (he had chickens too) enjoyed sharing his "wisdom" with me on occasion. He once told me that fertile eggs had more cholesterol in them. He also believed that the nutritional content of brown eggs was different from white eggs.

I used to woek with a girl who said brown eggs tasted better than white.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

My neighbor grew up raising Leghorns. So, he cannot eat anything except a white egg. He says that anything other than a white egg tastes different and bad. He’s convinced that egg shell color changes the taste.

I'll admit that I had believed at one time that grocery store eggs are bleached white. I had no idea until I did my research into buying hens that chickens actually could lay white eggs. I suppose it is entirely possible that they wash them with bleach water but I don't know that for certain. We had a friend over the other day who purchased eggs with this same belief so it must be a pretty common misunderstanding.

 

[Kusanar]

My neighbor grew up raising Leghorns. So, he cannot eat anything except a white egg. He says that anything other than a white egg tastes different and bad. He’s convinced that egg shell color changes the taste.

I used to woek with a girl who said brown eggs tasted better than white.

Now, those people may not be entirely wrong. I mean, different breeds DO lay different colors, so there could be a slight flavor difference between a leghorn egg and a RIR egg (just for example) just like there is a difference in milk between cow breeds.