INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote: I tried freezing a few but they did not make great scrambled eggs. I'm not sure if they would work for baking things like pizza crust or bread.

On selling eggs....
If my husband tells folks at his workplace that we have eggs we have too many customers for the eggs we can produce. I could have 100 chickens and sell all the eggs every week.

Might ask him to let folks know you have them...especially any folks that might be "health-conscious" and would want eggs that aren't irradiated (as in store-bought eggs).

My Dh tried to put the word out where he works but his place is on the lower end of the pay scale. So many people there just can't or won't pay more than $1 at the store. Then they think my dozen of jumbo duck eggs should cost less. I told DH I would rather give my eggs to my chickens or people I like than to sell them at 50 cents a dozen and not even get a carton back. I understand his coworkers thinking. About 3 years before we had chickens I did not want to pay more than the price at the store. I thought if I was going to pay cash up front that the eggs should be cheaper or at least the same price. Little did I know how much the feed cost or the effort to keep their pens safe. There are a lot of costs to raising chickens.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have a broody production red right now. She hatched 3 chicks and is raising one now. Any chicken can go broody, some breeds are just more likely than others.

I believe Leahs mom has posted occasionally about her broody production red, too.

Now, I had a broody PR, too, but the chicks she raised were E.V.I.L, so I only let her brood once. But, then, she wasn't the sweetest bird, either.

I did have a production red that has raised 2 broods for me. First one at 8 mos old.

@pipdzipdnreadytogo
Tell me more about the chicks being evil. Were they production eggs...or other breeds? Do you think it was the mamma's "teaching" or the breeds they were?

 

[EurekaChic]

I tried freezing a few but they did not make great scrambled eggs. I'm not sure if they would work for baking things like pizza crust or bread.

I thought I read a post from somebody who suggested scrambling them BEFORE freezing them in ice cube trays. That wouldn't help for use in baking (

), but if you just want eggs for breakfast, it might be an option. Anybody else remember the post? Maybe I was on a different thread (although I really don't spend tons of time on other threads).

 

[SallyinIndiana]

@hoosiercheetah mentioned baking dishes first. I have done that in the past. But typically in the winter I like to be baking in my kitchen not just warming up stuff. Then in the summer I tend to not want to be in the kitchen. So baking first then freezing messes with that. It might work for some who have more time in the summer compared to winter but here we are on the go most of summer.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I did have a production red that has raised 2 broods for me.  First one at 8 mos old.

@pipdzipdnreadytogo

Tell me more about the chicks being evil.  Were they production eggs...or other breeds?  Do you think it was the mamma's "teaching" or the breeds they were?

A little of both, I think, but mostly how they were raised. The father was a mixed breed, no idea of his background, and the mothers were either Production reds or Easter-eggers. I'm not sure if the broody was the bio-mother of any of the chicks, but was genetically the aunt at least. I think a big portion of it was because mama didn't want us to handle the chicks at all and got pretty upset when we tried to, so they weren't handled much. She also kept leading them down the driveway to the road and getting stuck with them on the wrong side of the (at the time) dog yard fence. I ended up with the most aggressive hen I have ever owned and a cockerel that was HUGE and human aggressive (which was probably partially genetic, although his dad is pretty calm with people), both of which were constantly attacking other birds and leading the way down the driveway for others. The rest of the chicks were trampled or died otherwise, so you can probably tell she wasn't very good at her job, anyway.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I see.

This mamma let me be around her and her chicks with no problem. And the chicks that she raised were SFH the first time and the second time 2 mixes and Miss Tilly.

The main thing I'm frustrated with her about is that when she's done with them...one day she's taking care of them and the next she drives them away. But she did keep them for 13 weeks!

 

[PeacefulWalls]

I tried freezing a few but they did not make great scrambled eggs. I'm not sure if they would work for baking things like pizza crust or bread.

My Dh tried to put the word out where he works but his place is on the lower end of the pay scale. So many people there just can't or won't pay more than $1 at the store. Then they think my dozen of jumbo duck eggs should cost less. I told DH I would rather give my eggs to my chickens or people I like than to sell them at 50 cents a dozen and not even get a carton back. I understand his coworkers thinking. About 3 years before we had chickens I did not want to pay more than the price at the store. I thought if I was going to pay cash up front that the eggs should be cheaper or at least the same price. Little did I know how much the feed cost or the effort to keep their pens safe. There are a lot of costs to raising chickens.

I found this on the incredibleegg.org website. Should have looked this up before freezing -- I would have done it slightly differently. I just cracked the egg into the ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer. I may whisk the next ones a bit first before freezing and then I can do a comparison.


Freezing Eggs

If you have more eggs than you can use within a few weeks of buying them, you can break them out of their shells and freeze them. Freeze only clean, fresh eggs.
Whites

Break and separate the eggs, one at a time, making sure that no yolk gets in the whites. Pour the whites into freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze. For faster thawing and easier measuring, first freeze each white in a standard ice cube tray. Then transfer to a freezer container.
Yolks

The gelation property of egg yolk causes it to thicken or gel when frozen, so you need to give yolks special treatment. If you freeze them as they are, egg yolks will eventually become so gelatinous that they will be almost impossible to use in a recipe. To help retard this gelation, beat in either 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup of egg yolks (about 4 yolks). Label the container with the number of yolks, the date, and whether you’ve added salt (for main dishes) or sweetener (for baking or desserts). Freeze.
Whole eggs

Beat just until blended, pour into freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze.
Hard-boiled eggs

You can freeze hard-boiled egg yolks to use later for toppings or garnishes. Carefully place the yolks in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1 inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and let the yolks stand, covered, in the hot water about 12 minutes. Remove the yolks with a slotted spoon, drain them well and package them for freezing.
It’s best not to freeze hard-boiled whole eggs and hard-boiled whites because they become tough and watery when frozen.
To use frozen eggs

In a home freezer, you can freeze eggs for up to one year. When you’re ready to use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use egg yolks or whole eggs as soon as they’re thawed. Thawed egg whites will beat to better volume if you allow them to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Use thawed frozen eggs only in dishes that are thoroughly cooked.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I see. 

This mamma let me be around her and her chicks with no problem.  And the chicks that she raised were SFH the first time and the second time 2 mixes and Miss Tilly. 

The main thing I'm frustrated with her about is that when she's done with them...one day she's taking care of them and the next she drives them away.  But she did keep them for 13 weeks!

I definitely think my girl was the exception for broody Production Reds. Part of her problem was probably her own upbringing, since she and her sisters were given to us as adults by someone that I guess decided she didn't like chickens so much after all. Not only were they probably not handled much, but they didn't have the opportunity to bond as well with us, so they were pretty human shy as is. That, of course, passed on to the chicks she raised, along with the aggressive tendency of many lines of reds, which I'm fairly certain was in this line of reds as well. So yeah, if she had been hand raised and we had handled the chicks more, I'm sure they would have turned out fine / less evil.

Between that and Margie's nest of rotting eggs, I really haven't had a good broody experience. :/ Guess I'll have to find a way to change that.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

Haha, I'd probably have more broodies, but they're all molting! (Well, except Margie, who I suspect is heading into her monthly broody spell as I type this.

)

My broody girl (hatchery black australorp that is 2 years old) is now sitting on 9 duck eggs -- we'll see how this turns out. She was my first girl to go broody and hatched chicks in March. She was a good momma to them. It could be interesting to watch if indeed she ends up with duck babies!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I found this on the incredibleegg.org website.  Should have looked this up before freezing -- I would have done it slightly differently.  I just cracked the egg into the ice cube trays and stuck them in the freezer.  I may whisk the next ones a bit first before freezing and then I can do a comparison.

Good info! I'll have to file this somewhere so I can refer to it again. No one uses the bantam eggs, so I always have plenty I can try this with.

Haha, I'd probably have more broodies, but they're all molting! (Well, except Margie, who I suspect is heading into her monthly broody spell as I type this. )

My broody girl (hatchery black australorp that is 2 years old) is now sitting on 9 duck eggs -- we'll see how this turns out.  She was my first girl to go broody and hatched chicks in March.  She was a good momma to them.  It could be interesting to watch if indeed she ends up with duck babies!

Okay, now you are obligated to post pictures if any ducklings hatch.