NY chicken lover!!!!

[Lynzi777]

Got a perfect little egg from the black Silkie hen this morning! Going to put it aside for hatching. This will be my last chance at hatching anything in the incubator this season! Hopefully I get a few more from the Orps soon!

 

[miquwid]

Rancher, have you tried tarps from online that are like 30mil instead of 10mil thick? That's what I'm going to do plus they have a clear one that is resistant to all types of wear. I feed eggs back usually if one is sick/injured but I have 1 barred rock and 2 silkies laying. Any day now for my 6 amber sex links, and another 2 months or more for my other three teens. So I have no surplus of eggs ever in fact I'm still buying them not as many cuz my silkies are awesome layers. I have only 12 chickens and I'm fairly new to this so nothing overwhelming yet. My garden has trifled many types of beans. Tomatoes, herbs, blackberries, and the rest has yet to come. My flowers are great.

 

[ke5hde]

I did a little more work today. Finished the roof and put a second window/vent in. Little does the wife know but it's still going to get painted. I'll have to do it when she's gone, then she can't say no, right ;-)
Just to put it in perspective here's a before and after.

Chris

 

[Tough Old Bird]

I go through phases with feeding mine eggs. Whenever I have an egg that is not quite up to par to sell, I either use it myself, have been giving them to the soup kitchen, or I scramble them and feed them back to the chickens... it's a healthy meal for them! I also save all my shells, crush them up and feed them back to them along with oyster shell. They dig for the egg shell. I have one production hen that lays an egg with the shell VERY wrinkled... I save those for them. My young girls are laying very small eggs right now. Too small to sell, so I either donate those or give to the chickens. Sometimes I crack an egg by accident bringing it into the house. That goes to the chickens. It depends on the day/week how much egg they get.

How small do you crush up the shells to avoid sharp edges? Good idea for added calcium.


TOB

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Lynzi & Jlaw ...

Hooray on the special arrival eggs! Helen has laid a 3rd egg today, and this one in the NEST BOX.

Glasshen....

Ewwww on the spoiled egg in the raincoat pocket. When my boys were small, my purse was frequently a grab bag of interesting surprises...half-eaten snacks I'd stashed while we were out and about and then forgotten about. I remember the crumbs in the bottom of the bag, haha! Also, the back of the mini van was always suspect for spoiled items, especially sippy cups of milk that might have gotten left back there in the heat.



Rancher....

Hang in there with your crazy broody ladies!!!!!! I know my birds' day will come, but hopefully not for a long time!



TOB

 

[Tough Old Bird]

Here are Days 2 & 3 eggs for Helen, the Marans. She used the nest box this morning! Hooray! Shane got a kick out of opening up the backside of the box to discover it! Today's egg (left) was slightly larger and darker than the one yesterday. They are smallish, but not tiny, and the shells are nice and hard.

So now I am officially one of you crazy chicken people, as I have taken pictures of my hen's eggs.

TOB

 

[Lynzi777]

Nice eggs TOB!!!! Soon you'll be stacking cartons in the fridge! ;-)

 

[ChickPrincess]

How small do you crush up the shells to avoid sharp edges? Good idea for added calcium.


TOB

I stack my used shells on top of the fridge in an egg carton (I rinse them). Once full, I microwave for 30 seconds. I put them in a gallon size baggie and roll/crush with a can until they are the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. Usually smaller, but not to the point of powder. They LOVE it.

 

[Sally8]

I had a gross experience yesterday. Grabbed a plastic rain coat I hadn't worn for ages, and didn't put it on until I went to pick blueberries at a farm. The berries are near the barn and I was thinking the manure was a bit strong, but kept picking. The smell didn't go away when I drove away wearing my jacket. When I got home I opened the pocket because there was a stain near it....that bad habit of putting eggs in your pocket...yeah.

 

[ke5hde]

TOB
I love the chocolate eggs.
I'm actually jealous of everyone with their new eggs. It'll be fall or later till I see any new ones.

Glass...that's just nasty.

We had a guy stop by today for eggs, I figured great I can sell another dozen. So I go in the egg fridge and grab a dozen, bring them out to him. He opens the carton and his exact words were "oh hell no. I'm not eating no blue egg!" I tried to explain that it was the same as a white or brown egg, just a different breed of chicken. He then says "you keep your weird eggs no thanks" Everyone else loves the different colors we get but he just wasn't having any of it. Oh well

Chris