Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Scrambles55]

I have been MIA for a bit. Whew!! It is official... the lab is now closed on Fridays!!

Now I can relax and try to get things done around here.
My mind has been wandering to green eggs these days. I miss having them from Rumples. If another hen goes broody, I might have to get an EE or 2.
The girls are earning their keep now. I average 5 eggs a day and I have some pretty regular customers.
I love all of the chick pictures and the beautiful egg pics also. Congrats to the new eggs layers and momma hens!! New human momma hens included.

 

[7 Biddies]

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Let's see if this does it. I find an iPad doesn't always behave. The way my computer did.

 

[Scrambles55]

I see nothing....

 

[XxMingirlxX]

Hey all,

Today when I went out to see the girls, Zazzles was in the coop. When she jumped out there was yolk on her beak chest and feet. When I checked in the coop, there were three eggs but Babs' was destroyed and there was only a bit of shell left. I'm hoping I don't have an egg eater on my hands but Babs' egg always have thin shells and this one was like paper. So I am hoping that when Zazzles sat down to lay her egg she broke Babs' and then decided to eat it and that its a one off. Let's hope

I found another couple of mites on the perch so I renuked the perches with dust.

When I came home tonight the girls had gone to bed but I couldn't see peggy, I then spotted her on top of the coop asleep. She was completely out - it was like handling a pair of shoes. When I popped her on the perch she looked at me blearily and uttered a single cluck. Awwww <3

Included Babs' broken egg I got three eggs today, this is the first egg Babs has laid since Peggy began so I was hoping for a full house, oh well.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Min (didn't you intend to be Mini?-- Which nickname do you prefer?) We were getting broken eggs this week, and some with a nice hole, about the size of a pencil eraser, but not broken otherwise. Egg guts in the nests, leftover shells on the floor... But I couldn't believe it was my girls, and I had a prime suspect. My hubs in particular was distressed over the ruined eggs, so he put a camera in the coop.
Sure enough, my suspicions were correct, and the guilty party is a jay. It goes through the pop door, through the run, and into the coop. If it ate what it destroyed I wouldn't mind quite so much, but now I have to come up with a jay-exclusion strategy.

Ideas we have thought of (but not tried): hang strips of fabric/plastic across the pop doors, put a fake owl outside the coop, put some hard fake eggs in the nests, tether the cat inside the run

, trap the jay in the coop and scare the poop out of it, or keep the hens locked up until we collect all the eggs.


Downside is how ridiculously intelligent these birds are. Anyone have ideas? Leaving the hens locked in the run is not really an option because they scream like peacocks to get out. Spoiled things.


Back to Min. So the point of all this rambling is to say that true egg eating chickens are rare. If it was a common trait for them to destroy their unborn offspring, we would even have chickens! Eggs more often are broken accidentally due to thin shells. Make sure the hens are getting their oyster shell. Other than that, egg eating is a sign of nutritional deficiency.

 

[cheeka]

above no flash, below, with flash

little lavender from yesterday is even more lavender today. I'm loving this. can't wait to see how it comes along!

 

[XxMingirlxX]

Min (didn't you intend to be Mini?-- Which nickname do you prefer?)  We were getting broken eggs this week, and some with a nice hole, about the size of a pencil eraser, but not broken otherwise.  Egg guts in the nests, leftover shells on the floor...  But I couldn't believe it was my girls, and I had a prime suspect.  My hubs in particular was distressed over the ruined eggs, so he put a camera in the coop. 
...
Back to Min. So the point of all this rambling is to say that true egg eating chickens are rare.  If it was a common trait for them to destroy their unborn offspring, we would even have chickens!  Eggs more often are broken accidentally due to thin shells.  Make sure the hens are getting their oyster shell.  Other than that, egg eating is a sign of nutritional deficiency.

Thanks Wishing, and yes I did intend Mini but I made my account very hurriedly when something happened to one of my early chickens so I didn't notice till a few months after. I don't mind what I'm called, min, mini, Ming are all fine - anything that's starts with Min and isn't minging then I'm fine with it.

I think I have discussed this before but I can't remember, no matter what I have tried with Babs she still lays thin shelled eggs. She is healthy otherwise as are all others so I think its just because exbatteries aren't designed for longevity. She's been bitten by a fox, broke a rib and two or three toes and spent a month hopping. Now she's fine I don't really mind what her eggs are like of if she has laid. I get three eggs a day anyway and am overflowing with eggs. Lol

Fingers crossed Zazzles doesn't decide eggs are tasty. But I agree, eggeaters are quite rare and what are far more common to do with eggs are broodies and I haven't had any of those.

 

[HugHess]

I, finally, cannot complain(!)

Thanking my Ladies for shaming me into shuddin' up about "no eggs"!

 

[BullChick]

Nice eggs!
I ate the last of my apples today, and doubt I'll get more. It's just too much stress! I keep wanting to keep the cores for the chickens I no longer have! When cleaning my big freezer out, I had to force myself to toss a bunch of stuff I was keeping for the flocks. I do have some stuff in the little freezer still. I'm fighting myself to not add to it.
I'm planning a garden. Idk what I can get planted since I don't know how to use the tiller. Buckets are great, but it's too costly to buy so much dirt. So, I'll do what I can do by hand and hope I can see the fruits of my labor later in the year.

Jazlyn's first pair of jeans. She's 9 mos today, and will be walking soon!

 

[cheeka]

my goodness she's getting tall! it goes so fast...