NY chicken lover!!!!

[rancher hicks]

Just picked up some feed today. 200 pounds 2 months ago cost 38.00, today it was 47.00. I think I might have to downsize more than I would like to.

Where do most people get their feed. I get it at a feed mill in Vernon Center.

I wish I could get it at a mill or delivered even. I really do need to check it out. I get it at TSC and $47 would be a great deal. What's the protein? Mash or Pellets?

For what the gas would cost it just isn't worth driving to Vernon.

 

[Lapeerian]

So tonight we get home from work just to pick up a couple things before heading over to my parent's for mom's b-day. I noticed that the horse fence was off a couple step in posts. Horses spent the day inside out of the heat, but didn't want to deal with it in the dark when we got home. So I go hook the fenceline up and come back up the hill to get going. As I am walking past the chicken run/pasture, I notice a strange pile of rocks. I go back to look. Imagine my surprise/disgust at finding a huge pile of eggs that were hidden in the weeds. I've done a couple walk throughs before, but not over to that spot. And I've been watching the girls for squatting, haven't heard egg songs, couple combs have gotten bigger/pink, but not bright red. I did a quick egg count from what I could see on top of the dirt. 50... I've been waiting to see my first egg and I find a pile of 50... No clue how old they are and we have had some hot humid days, so first thing tomorrow morning I get to go bag up 50+ beautiful brown eggs to toss in the garbage (which thankfully picks up tomorrow).

No white or colored eggs, so those girls are still slacking. Excited that they are finally laying, but very upset that I missed my first egg (or the next 50 for that matter) and we still don't have the nest boxes complete. I did put the extra large litter box in the coop last week for them to use until I get the boxes done this weekend; tossed 3 of the eggs from the top of the pile into the litter box. Very irritated with myself for not being more vigilant.

At least we know we don't have any egg eating predators nearby... Got a picture of them, I'll see if I can get it loaded this weekend.

ETA, got the picture:

 

[ChickPrincess]

Lapeerian, oh, my! How on earth would you stop them from doing this? Or would you just collect the eggs there?
What a waste.

 

[Cass]

So tonight we get home from work just to pick up a couple things before heading over to my parent's for mom's b-day. I noticed that the horse fence was off a couple step in posts. Horses spent the day inside out of the heat, but didn't want to deal with it in the dark when we got home. So I go hook the fenceline up and come back up the hill to get going. As I am walking past the chicken run/pasture, I notice a strange pile of rocks. I go back to look. Imagine my surprise/disgust at finding a huge pile of eggs that were hidden in the weeds. I've done a couple walk throughs before, but not over to that spot. And I've been watching the girls for squatting, haven't heard egg songs, couple combs have gotten bigger/pink, but not bright red. I did a quick egg count from what I could see on top of the dirt. 50... I've been waiting to see my first egg and I find a pile of 50... No clue how old they are and we have had some hot humid days, so first thing tomorrow morning I get to go bag up 50+ beautiful brown eggs to toss in the garbage (which thankfully picks up tomorrow).

No white or colored eggs, so those girls are still slacking. Excited that they are finally laying, but very upset that I missed my first egg (or the next 50 for that matter) and we still don't have the nest boxes complete. I did put the extra large litter box in the coop last week for them to use until I get the boxes done this weekend; tossed 3 of the eggs from the top of the pile into the litter box. Very irritated with myself for not being more vigilant.

At least we know we don't have any egg eating predators nearby... Got a picture of them, I'll see if I can get it loaded this weekend.

ETA, got the picture:

Wonderful eggs. But why are you throwing them away? Eggs are incubated at 101 degrees for 21 days and yeild a live chick. The hen puts a protective coating on the egg to keep it from spoiling (bloom).

How many hens did it take to lay all those eggs? If it was 10 hens, they are only 5 days old....8 hens, 7 days old, etc.

IF I am ever lucky enough to find such a cache of eggs (which would mean my hens had started laying again, but that's another post entirely) I would figure out how old they were, approximately and keep them if they were less than 10 days old....Now I wouldn't crack them directly into my cake mix bowl...no, that would be silly and might waste the cake mix if one of them was bad.....but I would crack each on into a separate bowl and pour it into the cake mix after I have determined they are indeed good. Heck, I do that now, cuz one of my hens has been known to throw a meat spot once in a while and I don't want that in my food.

The USA is the only country in the world that routinely refrigerates eggs. (Egg producers are required to wash the eggs here and wash off the bloom the hen puts on it so refridgeration is necessary) The rest of the world and all the old timer chicken keepers keep them in a bowl on the counter in the kitchen.

Oh, and mark the ones you put in the "nest box", so you don't bring them in the house and crack them when they are 30 days old. THAT would be very yucky.

PS if you coat the outside of an egg with mineral and keep it in a cool, dry place it will last 6 - 9 months unrefridgerated.

Edited to add: Don't trash them....if you don't want to eat them yourself, scramble them up for the birds and animals in your life. I assure you that the vast majority of them are still ediable. (Dogs love them and your hens can use the protein now they are laying)

 

[Lapeerian]

Wonderful eggs.   But why are you throwing them away?   Eggs are incubated at 101 degrees for 21 days and yeild a live chick.   The hen puts a protective coating on the egg to keep it from spoiling (bloom).

How many hens did it take to lay all those eggs?   If it was 10 hens, they are only 5 days old....8 hens, 7 days old, etc.  

IF I am ever lucky enough to find such a cache of eggs (which would mean my hens had started laying again, but that's another post entirely) I would figure out how old they were, approximately and keep them if they were less than 10 days old....Now I wouldn't crack them directly into my cake mix bowl...no, that would be silly and might waste the cake mix if one of them was bad.....but I would crack each on into a separate bowl and pour it into the cake mix after I have determined they are indeed good.   Heck, I do that now, cuz one of my hens has been known to throw a meat spot once in a while and I don't want that in my food.

The USA is the only country in the world that routinely refrigerates eggs. (Egg producers are required to wash the eggs here and wash off the bloom the hen puts on it so refridgeration is necessary)   The rest of the world and all the old timer chicken keepers keep them in a bowl on the counter in the kitchen. 

Oh, and mark the ones you put in the "nest box", so you don't bring them in the house and crack them when they are 30 days old.  THAT would be very yucky.

PS if you coat the outside of an egg with mineral and keep it in a cool, dry place it will last 6 - 9 months unrefridgerated. 

Edited to add:   Don't trash them....if you don't want to eat them yourself, scramble them up for the birds and animals in your life.   I assure you that the vast majority of them are still ediable. (Dogs love them and your hens can use the protein now they are laying)

I have 10 pullets. Of those, 2 are EE and 2 are Ancona, so we know they aren't laying. The Australorp isn't even pink yet, the 2 orps just turned pink this week. So the majority would have been from the 2 NH and 1 GLW cross. Maybe I will feed them back to them, don't have a dog and do not want to feed the indoor house cats, that would be a whole new mess. Plan is to check that spot daily, but when it cools down this weekend, they are getting locked in the coop for the majority of the day. I'll toss out the Roos and the known non-layers, everyone is staying until they lay!

 

[stonykill]

Wonderful eggs. But why are you throwing them away? Eggs are incubated at 101 degrees for 21 days and yeild a live chick. The hen puts a protective coating on the egg to keep it from spoiling (bloom).

How many hens did it take to lay all those eggs? If it was 10 hens, they are only 5 days old....8 hens, 7 days old, etc.

IF I am ever lucky enough to find such a cache of eggs (which would mean my hens had started laying again, but that's another post entirely) I would figure out how old they were, approximately and keep them if they were less than 10 days old....Now I wouldn't crack them directly into my cake mix bowl...no, that would be silly and might waste the cake mix if one of them was bad.....but I would crack each on into a separate bowl and pour it into the cake mix after I have determined they are indeed good. Heck, I do that now, cuz one of my hens has been known to throw a meat spot once in a while and I don't want that in my food.

The USA is the only country in the world that routinely refrigerates eggs. (Egg producers are required to wash the eggs here and wash off the bloom the hen puts on it so refridgeration is necessary) The rest of the world and all the old timer chicken keepers keep them in a bowl on the counter in the kitchen.

Oh, and mark the ones you put in the "nest box", so you don't bring them in the house and crack them when they are 30 days old. THAT would be very yucky.

PS if you coat the outside of an egg with mineral and keep it in a cool, dry place it will last 6 - 9 months unrefridgerated.

Edited to add: Don't trash them....if you don't want to eat them yourself, scramble them up for the birds and animals in your life. I assure you that the vast majority of them are still ediable. (Dogs love them and your hens can use the protein now they are laying)

agreed I would not have thrown them away either

 

[featherz]

When I find eggs in the bushes (etc), I candle them. If the aircell is smaller than a nickel or so, they are good enough for me. Any bigger than that (this has not happened yet) I'd feed back to them or toss, depending on how old they are. Freshly laid eggs will have almost no aircell, all the way up to the huge cell you'd see in storebought eggs.

 

[java girl 2]

Quote: Time for a truck Featherz?

Quote: aww, so cute!

yes, its because they deliver on a truck that go's through NY. that's why you had such bad luck with the eggs.

So tonight we get home from work just to pick up a couple things before heading over to my parent's for mom's b-day. I noticed that the horse fence was off a couple step in posts. Horses spent the day inside out of the heat, but didn't want to deal with it in the dark when we got home. So I go hook the fenceline up and come back up the hill to get going. As I am walking past the chicken run/pasture, I notice a strange pile of rocks. I go back to look. Imagine my surprise/disgust at finding a huge pile of eggs that were hidden in the weeds. I've done a couple walk throughs before, but not over to that spot. And I've been watching the girls for squatting, haven't heard egg songs, couple combs have gotten bigger/pink, but not bright red. I did a quick egg count from what I could see on top of the dirt. 50... I've been waiting to see my first egg and I find a pile of 50... No clue how old they are and we have had some hot humid days, so first thing tomorrow morning I get to go bag up 50+ beautiful brown eggs to toss in the garbage (which thankfully picks up tomorrow).

No white or colored eggs, so those girls are still slacking. Excited that they are finally laying, but very upset that I missed my first egg (or the next 50 for that matter) and we still don't have the nest boxes complete. I did put the extra large litter box in the coop last week for them to use until I get the boxes done this weekend; tossed 3 of the eggs from the top of the pile into the litter box. Very irritated with myself for not being more vigilant.

At least we know we don't have any egg eating predators nearby... Got a picture of them, I'll see if I can get it loaded this weekend.

ETA, got the picture:

wow! why don't you candle the eggs and see if there's any chicks in them? You know what they say here, can't have too many chicks! + you can rehome them!

 

[sonew123]

Float them in a bowl! Floaters toss...sinkers keep!

 

[Lapeerian]

Thanks everyone. I collected all of them this morning in one of the horse buckets and have them in the garage to do the sink or swim test later. Final count: 63 eggs. I have no clue about how to candle and even less what I'm looking for, so the water test it is.
The one EE girl is acting strange, so she may be getting close to lay. She was in the litter box the first night I put it in. When I found the eggs last night, she was huddled down in the weeds next to the clutch. This morning after I collected the eggs, I did a walk around the nest area to see if I missed any from another angle. She was huddled in the weeds again. I don't think she spent the night out there. Both times she scared the crap out of me because she is the black/gold mottled, so very well hidden until I move the weeds. And she doesn't move. So this morning I was carefully ripping the weeds out around her to see if I had a dead chicken, which would have really made my morning. Picked her up and tossed her in the litter box. Came out and into the weeds again. Probably hiding from randy boys too, but she usually hangs with the other EE and the Anconas (my little guys group).
After I was done filling the boys water and doing feed check, I looked to see where the girls were at. The 2 NH were hanging with big boy Ron the orp, the littles were doing their thing wandering around, GLW and EE boys were waiting for a girl to come by, and the Orp and GLW girls were no where to be seen. So I get to egg hunt again tonight. I am very happy we have gotten lots of rain, but hope it dries up later. I was soaked through this morning. If I find another huge clutch of eggs, I will scream. If we weren't already busy this morning (garbage/recycle day), I would have started lock in training.