Eggs for food vs eggs for chicks...sound off please

[Beccazon]

Used to do both; chicks when needed, food the rest of the time. However The town we're living in now is a rooster-free zone, so I guess the question has become moot...

 

[Kusanar]

Cannot do the cone. Watching an animal bleed out is beyond my scope of capability. Might do it to make a quick cut but no artery snipping for this gal. Idk why but to me the cone method seems very impersonal and barbaric and scary for the animal...upside down in a device with someone pulling your head. I considered a cone type something for at the chopping block. My dad never had issues though. Have to be pretty bad to miss a 2 inch neck with an 8 or 10 inch cleaver lol. I saw him hold them but never watch him strike them. They did nothing more than look frozen stiff once held down. But yes I do have more research to do. Thinking my buddy down the road will have to come do these 2 cockerels while I learn. Maybe her method will be something I am capable of.

Possibly the broomstick method is something you could handle, if done right, there is no blood, if done wrong, you pull the head off and they get decapitated which is what you're looking at with the axe method anyway.

 

[cmom]

I have enjoyed reading this thread.

I am curious to hear from those who have chickens they intend to or have used for eggs AND chicks. Mine have just started laying. Like just yesterday. I have 7 gals and 3 cockerels. The boys are in a separate pen.

I would like to try raising some chicks of our own after the hens are all in a pattern of laying steadily. I would like advice and wisdom as to what age is best for mating (all are 4 months now), what season is best for it, should I allow one or both nice roos at a time to rejoin the flock of hens for a time, if so how long? How long after mating should I allow for possible fertilized eggs? Is there a best time to remove roos when I want to go back to egg production solely for eating?

Please give info, ask me questions, I would like to research the thoughts and ideas and options prior to deciding I want to try for chicks.

Thanx guys!

I mainly raise birds to show at poultry shows. Most of the time I have around 300 plus birds. I do sell some, but grow all of the chicks out and pick the best out as future breeders. When the males start to go after the females I move the males to bachelor coops and pens. As long as there are no females in the mix they get along fine. I set up my breeding coops around the first of the year and I put the male I want in with the females together a month before I start collecting eggs for hatching. I usually hatch out around 200 to 300 chicks every year. I have processed some. For each of my breeds I try to keep one male and a spare. I have some coops where I keep a general population for eggs. I put my spare males I keep in with those females. The most females I put with a male for breeding purposes is one male to no more than 10 females. Often the males will have a favorite female. I have had more males in with the females but usually one of the males will be dominant. I sell eggs for hatching as well as eating. I do refrigerate the eggs because here the state requires it. They don't come around to inspect unless there is a complaint. Many people who raise chickens do sell their extra eggs. I have sold eggs to a store for resale but then the store also gets a cut from the price of the eggs. I stopped because it wasn't economically good for me. Now I only sell them on our farm. Good luck and have fun...

re eating fertilized eggs, last yr a BYC member put some Walmart eggs in her incubator and one of them actually hatched! She named it Wally. So there's a good chance many people are eating fertile eggs without knowing it.
Back in the 1960's, fertile eggs were considered superior and you had to pay more for them! It was a selling point.
I think there's absolutely no difference.

I have never heard of any eggs from a Walmart hatching but have from a grocery store here called Trader Joe's. who has sold fertilized eggs. I believe another BYC member several years ago bought some fertile eggs from a health food store and some hatched.

 

[chkncrazy]

This thread heated up lol enjoying all the convos......I wonder why Trader Joe's would sell fertile eggs anyways....is there some type of benefit, I'm sure there's a reason .... Either way I'd eat em

 

[Beccazon]

This thread heated up lol enjoying all the convos......I wonder why Trader Joe's would sell fertile eggs anyways....is there some type of benefit, I'm sure there's a reason .... Either way I'd eat em

Right? Now I need to research THAT! Sheesh chicken school is kicking my butt lol.

Maybe they are just trying to emphasize the cage-free point and that thry are humanely raised and live as chickens should...doing chickeny things?

Either way...interesting!

 

[aart]

Maybe they are just trying to emphasize the cage-free point and that thry are humanely raised and live as chickens should...doing chickeny things?

Exactly....probably cost an arm and leg.

 

[chkncrazy]

Right? Now I need to research THAT! Sheesh chicken school is kicking my butt lol.

Maybe they are just trying to emphasize the cage-free point and that thry are humanely raised and live as chickens should...doing chickeny things?

Either way...interesting!

Someone somewhere mentioned a study that an enzyme found in fertilized eggs helps lower bad cholesterol, which isn't found in non fertile eggs....I'm not sure if I read it here in past posts or in research ....I'm all mixed up... I'll do some research also.... We have a trader Joe's in CT but it's FAR from where I live ... I should call and see if they still sell fertile eggs and why..... I'll prob drive some 16 yr old part time employee to quit hahah

 

[cmom]

There are some older threads from BYC members who hatched eggs from Trader Joe's fertile eggs. If I remember correctly some of the chicks were RIR's. I'm sure if you did a search on Trader Joe's you can find the threads.

Right? Now I need to research THAT! Sheesh chicken school is kicking my butt lol.

Maybe they are just trying to emphasize the cage-free point and that thry are humanely raised and live as chickens should...doing chickeny things?

Either way...interesting!

Don't be fooled by "Cage Free eggs" It only means the birds have the ability to step out of the cage not that they can run free range.

 

[Beccazon]

Don't be fooled by "Cage Free eggs" It only means the birds have the ability to step out of the cage not that they can run free range.

That is so true. I remember now that cage free can even mean those deplorable barns of 1000s of birds trampling each other for space. No wire mesh but still confined basically.

It must state "FREE RANGE" and be certified for the freedom we like to think cage free means. Thank you for reminding me of that cute sales tactic!

 

[Kusanar]

That is so true. I remember now that cage free can even mean those deplorable barns of 1000s of birds trampling each other for space. No wire mesh but still confined basically.

It must state "FREE RANGE" and be certified for the freedom we like to think cage free means. Thank you for reminding me of that cute sales tactic!

Actually, you're still not quite there. "Free Range" means that those 10,000 hens that are trampling each other in their big building now have a pop door (maybe only one) that allows them "Outside" which could be a 10x10 wire run. They have to have access to the outdoors, no guarantee they have ever stuck their heads outside.

"Eggs labeled as “free range” must be produced by hens who have unlimited access to food, water, and access to the outdoors during their egg-laying cycle. These requirements are mandated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the USDA)."
https://aldf.org/article/egg-labeling-regulations-guide/

More interesting stuff here https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2016/09/13/usda-graded-cage-free-eggs-all-theyre-cracked-be