Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote:

Put 'em to work and make 'em earn their scratch! I dunno though, I love Spot's personality. She is near the top of the pecking order, but is never overly mean. Maybe it's because I only have one. She knows she doesn't have anyone covering her backside. She's the only one you just walk up to and pick up. Doesn't faze her a bit. Still looking pretty decrepit from the molt.


Who me? Cause trouble? Perish the thought!

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Is that a current picture of Spot? Looks like she has her feathers back if it is. Poor Roger still looks like she got caught in a chicken plucker

 

[luvmychicken]

Do not put unbroken eggs in the microwave. They EXPLODE!!! Been there done that.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Is that a current picture of Spot? Looks like she has her feathers back if it is. Poor Roger still looks like she got caught in a chicken plucker

No. She made me promise to stop embarrassing her.


Unfortunately for her I had my fingers crossed. (She actually looks worse than this!)

Do not put unbroken eggs in the microwave. They EXPLODE!!! Been there done that.

I thought that might be the case. Hope Mustacheio does not read this or he might get ideas!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Rushing to post these, my youngest took a few pictures tonight. Funny thing was, she DOESN'T eat chili!



She is waiting for mealies!



My tiny little runt



Thats the 1 gallon waterer in the back for a size match for them. They are getting 2 be 2 handfuls.The dog crate is big enough to hold a 220 pound dog (was my mastiff, Sams crate)



This is my "free baby" I have no clue what she is. My lorps are all black but a few white spots left. this one has huge fuzzy grey spots of the wings and back.Off white belly. Its very friendly and outgoing.Its first out of the crate and first to hop on my knee! they turned 5 weeks the 22nd.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I asked about chicken care for this week on another thread. I got some interestingly worded responses. While the question is pretty much answered, I will ask here.
In this extreme cold, are the girls going outside, and staying out? If they are refusing to go out, are you keeping the door shut since the windchill is a factor when the door is open? Are you adding some heat for a few hours a day just to take the edge off? Since we live in different places, I will say that the highs are around 8-10, and the windchills are as bad as -40 degrees. Typically -20.
My girls won't go out, so today the door is shut, and they are sticking to the nesting room (pine chips instead of sand, and warmer) and finding the worms I put in the chips. I plan on giving them cabbage too.
8 eggs yesterday. One looks new(layer) and 6 so far today.

MC i let them choose, and watch them close. If they stay on one spot, or sit on their feet they go back in right away. My guineas get brain dead, and the scovies, they perch on the roofs and won't budge.. so its only the chickens and geese if its below freezing that go out. We got to 20 degrees but the wind chills are still awful.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Frozen eggs?!! Good gracious. Being the huge weather wimp that I am, I'm probably not the best person to ask. If it was me, I would install baseboard heaters, a hot water drinking fountain, and heating pads in the nest boxes. Then I'd make chicken parkas and booties and comb-warmers. There would also be a hot buffet with soup, oatmeal, venison and pie. (And then my husband would ship me off to the looney bin!)

I don't think there's anything wrong with keeping them inside all day. That's some serious cold you're experiencing, and frostbite has got to be a concern. If it's dark for them inside, you might lose egg production, so maybe adding some artificial light could help that. If you're really worried, hang a red heat lamp from the rafters. We used to do this during foaling and it really helped. (Well, at least for low 20s.)

Can you eat eggs once they've been frozen? Wonder what happens if you put one in the microwave.....

Hehe, ya mine had even split open. those get fed to the chickens or the pigs, if the membrane is showing it scares me to eat the egg. Its probably fine... but.

 

[cheeka]

Nice pics jchny! They sure are cute! No clue what the freebie is... you may have to wait a bit longer to id...
W4W, you are so lucky... it is almpst 70 degrees colder here! Right now it is 8 below zero w/o the windchill, roughly 30 below with... 4 eggs yesterday that were frozen solid and cracked. The heated waterer was frozen yesterday and today, but the gang is fine and dandy... np signs of frostbite... it is pretty nice in there despite the cold. I put a lot of extra bedding and litter hay in to help insulate.
As for microwaving eggs... you can nuke a scrambled egg in less than a minute, but an unbroken yolk will explode. I had a very bloody egg recently and thought i would cook it quickly before tossing it as trash pickup wasnt for a few days and i didnt want smelly trash... it exploded and flipped upside down. Made a mess...
Anyway... i am at work, the mail is late. So annoying.

 

[BullChick]

Nice pics jchny! They sure are cute! No clue what the freebie is... you may have to wait a bit longer to id...
W4W, you are so lucky... it is almpst 70 degrees colder here! Right now it is 8 below zero w/o the windchill, roughly 30 below with... 4 eggs yesterday that were frozen solid and cracked. The heated waterer was frozen yesterday and today, but the gang is fine and dandy... np signs of frostbite... it is pretty nice in there despite the cold. I put a lot of extra bedding and litter hay in to help insulate.
As for microwaving eggs... you can nuke a scrambled egg in less than a minute, but an unbroken yolk will explode. I had a very bloody egg recently and thought i would cook it quickly before tossing it as trash pickup wasnt for a few days and i didnt want smelly trash... it exploded and flipped upside down. Made a mess...
Anyway... i am at work, the mail is late. So annoying.

Stay warm at least.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Rushing to post these, my youngest took a few pictures tonight. Funny thing was, she DOESN'T eat chili!



This is my "free baby" I have no clue what she is. My lorps are all black but a few white spots left. this one has huge fuzzy grey spots of the wings and back.Off white belly. Its very friendly and outgoing.Its first out of the crate and first to hop on my knee! they turned 5 weeks the 22nd.

Yay! Send thanks to your daughter for the pics. So fun to see your girls and your set up. They look very cozy and healthy. The runt will probably be the favorite because she'll be the only one you can tell apart! As for The Extra, don't be surprised if it's a boy, they are often used as packing peanuts to fill out orders. There are some other clues as well-- slow feathering compared to your pullets and the white patches on the "shoulder" area are often (but not always!) evidence of a cockerel. Unfortunately, the pic doesn't show the comb, which at this age is usually the biggest tell, as they start turning pink/red at 5 weeks, and are generally larger too (depends on comb type, though). Does that one have any wattles yet? Oh, and the final clue, is that it is so friendly and outgoing and sits on your knee. So many people lament that their very favorite "pullet" turned out to be the one and only cockerel, which they aren't allowed to keep, and the reason they like him so much was because he was so friendly. The pullets tend to get friendlier as they get closer to laying. Of course, I could be completely wrong, because the development of different breeds varies, but best to be prepared.