Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Scrambles55]

Oooh!

Lavender AMs...

Rumples, my avatar is also from a Lavender project pen. She has no tail. My favorite hen, but don't tell the others.

 

[cheeka]

I had a nice surprise in the end pen's igloo - 2 eggs! one definitely belongs to Gossy and the other was a nice torpedo shaped tan egg, very pullet-like, so I am wondering which of the 3 new bantams laid it... it wasn't Lilac or Cressa's, they're 15 weeks old. shame is, I broke the new egg, yolk all over my hands... it had a good shell, I accidentally crushed it.

 

[mortie]

The real feel temp today was below zero. I had to go out and fill the water and food. My hands and feet were frozen solid by the time I was done and it only took a few minutes. I let them free range today and there are cute little chicken tracks in the snow all over. It's very still outside but so very cold.

 

[cheeka]

dang mortie that stinks! it's too early in the season to be bombarded by frigid temps! we got a couple of inches of snow, but today was mild-ish and it turned to rain. it didn't all melt yet, it's really crunchy now.
the new roof on the back pen is jammin'! it's totally dry inside and no fighting with sagging tarps!! this season will be the best yet as far as ease of caring for them. this will be the 3rd winter with the Dome and it has held up every bit, so I have no concerns especially with the coop being rebuilt.
I'll shake my fist at the sky but I say bring it on!!

 

[mortie]

So....anyone know how to tell if an egg has been frozen? I'm kinda scared to eat the eggs I'm getting right now. They feel like little ice cubes. It's not that I don't think they're safe to eat, just that I don't want to eat weird tasting eggs. Makes me wsh they would just stop laying until spring.

 

[cheeka]

easy mortie, they crack. bad. a small crack will seal itself and become invisible, but a really frozen egg will split with bigger cracks. I toss the badly frozen eggs, or feed them to the dogs, but the mildly frozen ones taste great

 

[Scrambles55]

I still eat my eggs if they have not cracked from being frozen. I have not noticed a difference. And... I can't say for sure that they had been frozen when I eat them, but no doubt they had been. We have had some nasty cold days here lately. I had one egg crack from being frozen. The girls est those. We are warming up next week to the high 30s with rain/snow mix.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Ooooh, that sounds too cold! Terrible. I really feel for you guys in the icy cold temps. Well, not literally feel, thank heavens, but you know what I mean. Wafting warm thoughts your way.

 

[mortie]

I don't really mind the cold just wondering about the eggs. They're not cracked but they're super cold lo.

 

[Hershy]

Oh, I'm so glad you brought that up Mortie, we have had some pretty cold nights and I didn't know how to tell if eggs were frozen. Thanks for the answers. It is definitely early for such cold temps. I'm in Oregon, but just talked to my Dad in Alabama and they are in the 20's at night there too. Got 2 today,until now, we were up to 4 a day.