Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Chicken poppy]

I just hope Emily doesn’t make a habit of hiding like that. (I don’t think my heart could take such stress)

Me to! i would panic.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Some time ago, I talked about preserving eggs in water mixed with hydrated lime, or egg glassing, as they call it (apologies to those of you for whom the term "glassing" also refers to another awful behavior). We'll, here we are, about 15 months later, and I grabbed the bucket off the shelf in my cold storage area in my basement. This is the label we attached to the bucket lid (can't figure out how to rotate the photo).

View attachment 2861789

This it what it looked like upon opening.

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No odor detectable unless I really stuck my nose down closer to it. And even then it was just a slight "eggy" smell, nothing at all alarming. I reached in through the crusty shell layer on top of the water and pulled out two eggs.

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I rinsed them off and took a whiff. Still no unpleasant outdoor. I took them outside to crack open, not wanting to have to deal with a potential horrific mess inside the house. This is what I got.

View attachment 2861803

The eggs had become much less viscous (more watery) and they kind of slightly stuck to the inside of the shell which helped cause the yolks to break. It also seemed as if the membranes (I'm not going to even try to use any correct terminology in this report) that usually contain the yolks had broken down, so that the yolks were very easy to break. I gave them another vigorous smell test and all I could smell was regular raw egg. Nothing at all of of the ordinary.

So on to the cook test. In the pan.

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All scrambled up, with a lovely mealworm garnish.

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Again, no unusual anything, they cooked up normally, smelled fine, just as if they were fresh.

So what do you think? Should I cook one up for myself to try? I once opened a container of chili that was more than 11 years past the "best by" date printed on the package. It passed my smell test so I ate it and experienced nothing beyond what one might normally expect from eating chili.

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So there you have it!

Wow! thats really intresting! Id like to see your reaction taking a bite!

 

[BY Bob]

It looks like this is going well. Phyllis is asserting herself as she should and the littles look like they have learned that they need to give her space as they should. Despite the little cries of alarm, it's hard to tell if Phyllis even made contact with them (with her beak).
I would be way more concerned if Phyllis was being aggressive, multiple hard pecks, pinning them down, that kind of thing.

I agree. All in all, it's going well. Everyone is learning.

 

[BY Bob]

I just hope Emily doesn’t make a habit of hiding like that. (I don’t think my heart could take such stress)

Some children will test your patience.

Chicken Tax

 

[BY Bob]

I wonder if the littles understood what Phyllis meant

I think they understand. Their adapting to her presence indicates that they do.

 

[RoyalChick]

Wall frames
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Once the run is done we can let them play outside some more.

On Platina: she was not a fan of the sling, but she's been working on strengthening her legs. The leg that was forward is now often tucked under her. The one on back is still sticking out, but the toes are moving more. She's been exercising and I believe she's making a slow recovery.View attachment 2861857

The build is looking good! I really hope Platina makes a recovery.

 

[BY Bob]

Some time ago, I talked about preserving eggs in water mixed with hydrated lime, or egg glassing, as they call it (apologies to those of you for whom the term "glassing" also refers to another awful behavior). We'll, here we are, about 15 months later, and I grabbed the bucket off the shelf in my cold storage area in my basement. This is the label we attached to the bucket lid (can't figure out how to rotate the photo).

View attachment 2861789

This it what it looked like upon opening.

View attachment 2861795

No odor detectable unless I really stuck my nose down closer to it. And even then it was just a slight "eggy" smell, nothing at all alarming. I reached in through the crusty shell layer on top of the water and pulled out two eggs.

View attachment 2861799

I rinsed them off and took a whiff. Still no unpleasant outdoor. I took them outside to crack open, not wanting to have to deal with a potential horrific mess inside the house. This is what I got.

View attachment 2861803

The eggs had become much less viscous (more watery) and they kind of slightly stuck to the inside of the shell which helped cause the yolks to break. It also seemed as if the membranes (I'm not going to even try to use any correct terminology in this report) that usually contain the yolks had broken down, so that the yolks were very easy to break. I gave them another vigorous smell test and all I could smell was regular raw egg. Nothing at all of of the ordinary.

So on to the cook test. In the pan.

View attachment 2861809

All scrambled up, with a lovely mealworm garnish.

View attachment 2861810

Again, no unusual anything, they cooked up normally, smelled fine, just as if they were fresh.

So what do you think? Should I cook one up for myself to try? I once opened a container of chili that was more than 11 years past the "best by" date printed on the package. It passed my smell test so I ate it and experienced nothing beyond what one might normally expect from eating chili.

View attachment 2861817

View attachment 2861818

So there you have it!

There is really only 1 way to find out. Of course using chickens as food taste testers seems a little mean to me.

 

[BY Bob]

Sorry I panicked!

Any of us would be concerned. Don't apologize for that.

 

[BY Bob]

Those are adorable pictures. And those babies are now very large!

They are still tiny compared to Phyllis.

 

[BY Bob]

Excellent! I certainly would. There are several folk on BYC who have tried it and some do this regularly so it seems pretty established way of preserving eggs. Also, the good news about eggs is you really get a lot of warning if they are off!
If you were nervous about it you could try just one. But I think if it doesn't smell you are good to go!
In the spirit of full disclosure I am quite loose with dated food. Not things like shellfish, but many other things.
As an example I am still eating my mother's preserves. She was big into jams, jellies and marmalades. They are really delicious. Some of the older ones crystalize a bit and need zapping in the microwave to loosen them up a bit, but otherwise they are great.
My mother died in 1996 and I have just eaten my way to 1992.
Let us know if you try and how they do in terms of texture.

That you are still eating your mother's preserves is quite lovely. I would do the same.