Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

I had another perfect day. Three chickens, three eggs. Peep taught Nibbles to lay her egg on the patio and not in the coop. Not happy about that, as Nibbles WAS laying in the coop.

Also today Peep's egg had a small whole in the shell, but not the egg itself. I didn't know if it would still be safe to eat, so I scrambled it up and gave it to the girls. They LOVED it! I feel a little weird about feeding chickens and egg, especially the chicken that laid it. But I figure it isn't fertilized, and that's what they eat when they are baby anyway... Right?

Yup! The eggs are really good for them. Perfect chicken food!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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Oh! must have pics of the grandbabies!!! Looks like an LG. They are very attractive, I have 3

Here is my question to you girls. After searching for several years to find the perfect centerpiece for my formal dining room table I finally found what I consider the perfect centerpiece. It matches the blinds and the trim perfect. My question is should I drill a hole in the table to run the cords thru the table or just let them hang over the side of the table and plug them into a extension cord. I have a brown extension cord. (I know better than to use a orange one). Your thoughts please.

I think its simply beautiful. and quite stunning!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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Chickens make good kitchen decor, a formal dining room would look nice with a pheasant decor... are there any chickens that look like pheasant? Although, with your gold light fixture... Golden Comets might be the right choice...
Are you saying a BR would look good hanging over the kitchen table?.......

ROGER you are sure looking plump... I am processing Roos this week. U better be Xtra nice to your dad

Cheeka, floors look amazing! Makes it hard to move when you do all the changes! But, you're right, some new family is going to love it there!

OK-I bet you could make a new list for the coop-Wall ornaments-Barred Rock.....Post a picture of the mounted deer head, change it out for Rogers...

MC-Thanks, I actually got another one today, not crushed!





I do a bit of canning. Strawberry jam. I do a flip method instead of the hot water bath, it has been perfect for years. It can take up to 24 hours for the lids to suck in. Any that don't go in the fridge for immediate consumption! I have tried the jam after the year and it really loses flavor pretty close to the one year mark. Forget the 2 year mark, gross!

yes, agreed! more than a year it all seems a lil gross.

You people are interesting. SullyD, congrats on the first egg. Crushed or not.
I canned for the first time today. Dill pickles. Both slices and spears. It wasn't that hard, but I wish someone would have reminded me about the yellow nails, fingers, sink etc. It came off the counters okay. The utensils (wood, glass and plastic) are still yellow. I am confused since even the Ball brand funnel is stained, I would think it would be resistant. Soon after taking the jars out of the bath, one lid was still moving. By the time I was done, I had one more, and a kinda. Now they are all tight. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wait to flip out about seals right away, or after the 12 hour cool down. Playing on their site, it said after the 12-24 hour cool down. So, with all lids looking firm now, I am feeling better. I will remove the rings tomorrow, and test the seal to be sure.
The site and instructions say to only store on the shelf one year. I was looking at another site that was talking about meat, and said five years. Is it because meat is pressure canned?

Anything I store be it canned, frozen etc I try to use in a year. I know people do it and its perfectly fine, just scares me.

well... then buy a doily when you pick up the craft pearls... you might get lucky and find a camouflage one... either way, put something under that 'bator if you're gonna keep it on that nice table... I'd be havin' a clutch of chicks myself (y'know... like havin' a cow...) about something sitting directly on that nice finished table! (I'm a coaster using person) I did have mounts here when old BH was around, 2 nice full hide mounts on either side of the fireplace, and also I think what was called "European mounts", just the skulls... it suited this country/mountain home well... but, alas... they went the way of old BH, out the door... I could look for some at auctions... add to the ambiance...

Hobby Lobby has some cool things
Oh my.. yes, need something under that bator!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Speaking of lifetime commitments, I am giving away my 4 CL roosters tomorrow to a friends dad that is going to eat them (good thing I named them Piccata, Marsala, Kiev, and Parmesan!). So this is the first time for me doing this. I know others process them and send them to freezer camp. I know it will get easier to do, since I never thought I would do it at all and now I am. But am I the only one that feels so darn guilty??

I do the rooster processing weekly and it doesn't get easier. Its part of it. Some are my first hatched and it upsets me a lot. They trust me. I do this because I want to know what my family is eating.

24 weeks and still 5 girls not laying. Patients starting to wear thin. I Guess they are late bloomers.

What breed, heritage are pretty slow.

Yep, I am going to eat it as soon as I have a couple more. I have some bacon just waiting to join them!

I saved my bacon slabs from our first hog, will cold smoke once the temps stay below 45 degrees.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

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Its hard to accept. I free range my birds, well over 200. I have lost some, most upsetting to see taken were my 2 brown chinese goslings and my pekin drake.
We have a fox I have yet to shoot, it shows up randomly and grabs the small and weak, or the boys defending the girls. I will get it, we have no rabbit or squirrel left here.
Its not afraid of people and will scale 6 ft fences. This year is my 1st encounter with grey fox. and they are pretty sneaky!

Quote: Rural king, if you have one, is really reasonable for feed. I bought 10 bags of layer feed for $107 last week.

Thank you all! I am happy to read all these comments describing 'my ladies', lol, really makes me feel better to know my ladies will be laying soon. One is dancing and 2 are now talking up a storm, our wait for the first egg goes on...

Its so exciting when they do! Before you know it you will have extras

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Up to at least 11 layers! Have gathered that many by 1 pm and know that we still have a few girls that are late afternoon layers.

One of my pullets keeps singing the egg song. She has done it off and on all morning! I go out to find my egg and there isn't one. She laid her first egg last Friday evening and her second egg last Saturday evening but it was soft shelled. I don't think she has laid one since. I told her she is like the boy who cried wolf. I'm not going to believe her when she really lays one!

Too funny, Cheeka.
I am trying my hand at making more wine. The first batch wasn't bad, but I didn't care for it. I am picky about my wine. I am thinking this batch will come out much better.
While looking up my canning questions (and not getting satisfactory answers at times) I am realizing something. Canning is a great way to "go green". Metal cans take up a lot of room in in landfills. Then there is the fact that they are metal to begin with. With canning, only one small metal part gets tossed. And isn't that what the wax blocks are for? Re-using the disks/lids too? I also like that you can pick the size jar you need. But even with a bigger jar, it is still a small disk being tossed.
I am such a wonderful person for canning!!

Its always yummier home made too!

Quote: Hehe me too, jeans flannel and sweats.
Silkies are cute, I have 5 total.. not a single egg yet, and still don't know of I have a hen

I took the bands off the pickles. All sealed.

I did well for my first time.

Awesome!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I need to get a picture of the poor broody BR. She looks like a scrambled road kill spread out on that nest box. Her back is bare and she is missing feathers on top her head. She flattens out like a broody does and I swear she looks like cars have been running over her. Thus the name " Road Kill Broody".

Aww poor girl

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bummer MalMom...

7 Eggs is it for today. Blu only laid one egg this week, but boy does she have some nice new feathers!

I've named the Silkie chick Sillie, for W4W is quite right... it is a good name for her, at least until I find out if she's a he... the only unnamed are the 4 bantam Marans. I've kept the banty boys names as they were... Max and Tommy are the Cochins/d'Uccles, and Rhody and Red are the 2 RIR's. Red will eventually be renamed, something strong... big sounding, cuz that's what he thinks he is... too bad for him that he can't reach further than the tops of the LF girls wings... bitty thing.

I cleaned up the Broody Pen today, will move it tomorrow to a nice fresh grassy spot. they've pretty much decimated the spot it's in. same for the banty boy pen. I didn't make the switch with those birds yet, but I will tomorrow after the pens are relocated.

Mylee and Oma are settled in at a hotel, but Oma doesn't know where they are! not even what state. Mylee's being good, Oma is just pooped out from driving. she'll find out later and let me know. They are on course with the GPS, so I'm not worried.

Poor Oma!

I am convinced it has NOTHING to do with hormones or being a new layer. She just likes to see how long she has to make a racket before I come outside. I think a name change might be in order.

LOL dont let her near your cell phone, sounds like SHE is training her!

 

[cheeka]

W4W, yep, sticker bushes! Mylee called them "ticker thorns", she finally got the "s" for sticker this trip! that nice big thistle is between the broody pen and the lilac, it gives the birds a chance to dive into the lilac if Mylee is after them, she can't get through the thorns as fast as they can.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Its hard to accept. I free range my birds, well over 200. I have lost some, most upsetting to see taken were my 2 brown chinese goslings and my pekin drake.
We have a fox I have yet to shoot, it shows up randomly and grabs the small and weak, or the boys defending the girls. I will get it, we have no rabbit or squirrel left here.
Its not afraid of people and will scale 6 ft fences. This year is my 1st encounter with grey fox. and they are pretty sneaky!

The grey fox are what we have around here. Only saw a red fox once ages ago when I was young. The greys climb trees too, but they don't seem to like dogs, so haven't caused any trouble for us... yet. Hope yours moves on, one way or the other.

 

[MalMom]

LOL dont let her near your cell phone, sounds like SHE is training her!

I'll keep that in mind!