New member- just bought first hens- questions about eggs/chickens

[davenlongcoop]

Hello everyone,

I was raised on a farm around just about every breed but I just built my first coop and I have a few questions. I bought three Long Island Reds and they are in theIr first year of laying and around 10 months old. Two of them look like they had their beaks clipped?!!?
Also, I have questions about the eggs.
1. How long are they good for?
2. What if I miss a day gathering them, are the eggs bad then?
3. Anyone have any good tricks on how to mark them/date?
4. We are getting 2 eggs a day but some have looked pretty funky/ kinda bubbly?!?
I think I will get some chicks to raise now so I will continue to have young hens. Any suggestions would be very helpful. We never raised for eggs when I was younger. We only raised meat chickens and just about every other two legged animal .

Thanks for any help/suggestions!!

 

[cstronks]

If you are not refrigerating them, then they should be good for a couple of weeks after washing. Many European countries sell eggs in non-refrigerated sections of stores, so they can last. However, if you refrigerate them, then they can go for over a month. The eggs sold in supermarkets are usually a month old. Keep in mind, if you refrigerate them, they must be refrigerated after! If a refrigerated egg is left out in excess of an hour, or in an extremely warm environment, then this will cause the egg to sweat, and bacteria can grow and foul up the egg. I always refrigerate my eggs because most of the time when I give them to somebody, they go right into the fridge anyways, so its just more logical.

I'm not sure about missing a day of gathering. I doubt that can really harm the egg that much, but I would get a second opinion. Dating the eggs is simple...use a wax pencil and write directly on the egg. This way, you can eat the oldest ones and store the newest ones. I think I have read posts of people using sharpies too, and I don't know if they leach through, but I doubt it.

As for bubbly eggs, you may want to post in "Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying" for an answer. You can search around there and probably find the answer to that. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, davenlongcoop, and

! Pleased to have you here! I think cstronks gave that advice I would have given. On the "bubbly" eggs - are referring to the shell? Sometimes calcium deposits unevenly on the egg. If on the inside?

Good luck to you!

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC. If the hens have their beaks clipped, they came from a source that was providing chickens for a cage production facility. cstronks is right on the money about egg storage. Although it is best to collect eggs daily for a variety of reasons, skipping a day will not cause the eggs to go bad. Some use sharpies to mark/date eggs, I have always used a pencil. The strange eggs may be a possible indicator of problems in a hen's reproductive system, or may just be a result of transient stress. Enjoy your new flock.

 

[davenlongcoop]

Thanks for the advice. Today was the first weird egg. It was almost like the two sides were fused together...I don't know how else to explain it.
I was told they were RIRs but my dad who has been raising chickens for 50+ years think that they are Golden Comets.?!?
I bought the chickens at a local poultry swap meet and the guy was also a local. I have seen him around for years. I guess they clip them to keep them from hurting their eggs/each other. I don't know.
I do know that I think I will try and get some pullet chicks now and start raising them. I am looking into white leghorns or light brahmas. I just wish I knew a good place to buy them.

Thanks!

 

[drumstick diva]

If you post on your state thread (visit "where am I, where are you.") you may find someone locally - selling what you want and make a new friend to boot.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!

Glad to have you aboard!!