My first "Egg" in over a year

[redrstr29]

I'll answer any questions you have!! hens stop laying during a MOULT or if they are broody, Sometimes they take a few days off here and there, how old are they? whats the breed?

Aldo

 

[redrstr29]

oh and a rooster has no bearing on egglaying, my hens havent seen a rooster ever and I get 12 eggs a day from a dozen hens 8 outa 10 days, Make sure they get layer feed (mash,crumbles or pellets) astheir main meal along with oyster shell for nice hard eggshells, not too much extra corn as extra weight causes them not to lay as much

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Great story - loved it. And one I can certainly appreciate.

I don't ever remember having a "real" egg until about a year ago when I got my girls. Oh, I was raised in the country - my grandmother had chickens and I'm sure I ate them cooked into other dishes - but I don't have memory of a plate of "real" fried eggs in my youth. I loved the eggs I got from the store [young and dumb, I guess!] and I knew I wanted chickens and "real" eggs but I didn't know why.

I've been living high on the egg-hog for the past year since I got my girls and - wow - what a delight those eggs are. Recently we wormed our girls and couldn't eat their eggs for a month. One morning I broke down and fried two store-bought eggs. Horrible. Runny whites, pale yolks, frail shells, no flavor.

We're back to our "real" eggs now and actually just finished having an omelet dinner. Oh, what a true joy these real eggs are!

 

[redrstr29]

Great story - loved it. And one I can certainly appreciate.

I don't ever remember having a "real" egg until about a year ago when I got my girls. Oh, I was raised in the country - my grandmother had chickens and I'm sure I ate them cooked into other dishes - but I don't have memory of a plate of "real" fried eggs in my youth. I loved the eggs I got from the store [young and dumb, I guess!] and I knew I wanted chickens and "real" eggs but I didn't know why.

I've been living high on the egg-hog for the past year since I got my girls and - wow - what a delight those eggs are. Recently we wormed our girls and couldn't eat their eggs for a month. One morning I broke down and fried two store-bought eggs. Horrible. Runny whites, pale yolks, frail shells, no flavor.

We're back to our "real" eggs now and actually just finished having an omelet dinner. Oh, what a true joy these real eggs are!

Nice isn't it!!, Im so hesitant against using a wormer (as a precaution) cause I don't wanna miss out on their eggs lol PLEASE I hope they dont get worms

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Nice isn't it!!, Im so hesitant against using a wormer (as a precaution) cause I don't wanna miss out on their eggs lol PLEASE I hope they dont get worms

What was really sad was throwing all those eggs away. Broke my heart! People suggested feeding them to my dog but my one senior dog was having some medical issues so I was afraid to do so.

I collected those eggs for about two weeks before I got the nerve to toss any of them and it was a truly sad thing to have to do.

 

[Chambertin]

One of my worst weeks was just after our first hatch when the eggs "were all just babies in a shell" & no one but me wanted to eat them. Had a huge pile that I never thought I would get through. Luckily everyone came back around and we gave out the extras to people. I loved seeing the look on their faces when they ate them.

As a kid, and up until about 2 years ago I loved store eggs too. Not so much for flavor, but cheap easy protein. They added something to the mix, but not much.
I gotta find some local eggs!
One woman had a sign, but her 4 year old girls aren't making enough to sell with the cold weather up here.

 

[redrstr29]

lol what do you mean"were all babies in a shell", that they were fertalized, ....I have somany extranow I think I got 10 dozen in the fridge, maybe i should sell em, I nned to remember togivepeople a carton when they stop by!!

 

[Baymule]

How often do hens stop laying ? And would adding a rooster help .

Hens feathers get a little battered after a while and need to be replaced. The feathers fall out and new ones grow in. While this process is going on, the hen needs all the protein that normally would go into egg production, for growing in those new feathers. You can help the hens by boosting protein, meat scraps, canned fish like mackerel are good. This can take a few months to complete. If you add a few new chicks every year, then they will be going into production while the older hens are molting. The downside to that is you will run out of room or you will have to butcher the oldest hens.......or build another coop.

And no, adding a rooster won't help. While a hen is attending to her feather business, having a randy rooster chasing her around would only tick her off.