Texas

[RustedOak]

I use mineral oil to preserve eggs for long term storage, since having working electricity is not a guarantee and I prefer to have things which do not require a freezer for preservation.  The eggs get a  little runnier, but it still lets me be able to separate them into whites and yolk if I am making mayonnaise or boiling eggs - unlike freezer kept eggs that are supposed to be scrambled before freezing for best quality.  I think my eggs would do better and not get a little runnier if they were kept colder instead of at room temperature, but am working on how we can get a "cellar" for colder storage of food items.  Right now I just pack them into a carton and then stick the cartons inside of cheap foam ice chests that sit on the floor of my kitchen.  We're eating eggs from April/May that are still good.  Have been considering going to an oil/beeswax mixture for coating the eggs to see if that gives an even better impermeable shell coating.

I've heard of mineral oil as a preservative but didn't know of anyone who used it. I'll keep that in mind for the next overflow batch

 

[Gittx]

Brookshire11.....
I would use hay. It tends to stay in shape better than wood IMHO. Some stores also have straw, but a good old feed store usually (around here anyway) has hay. Then I would put an old fashion light bulb about a foot or so above them. I have read that they don't really see red light, and since it's just for warmth, that should be fine. I wouldn't use a heat lamp with hay or wood chips because of the chance of fire. If it looks like a hen's nest that is ideal. I used this method when I put some youngsters out this spring, when the weather was on the cold side, and it worked out great. Good luck!

 

[Brookshire11]

stop!! LOL

Thinking of small eggs at those highway places 'Buckee's' is that how it is spelled? they sell pickled quail eggs for $6-7 a jar.

Geez! Pricey! lol
I may make a few more jars as Christmas gifts..my Grandma and Dad love anything pickled.

I use mineral oil to preserve eggs for long term storage, since having working electricity is not a guarantee and I prefer to have things which do not require a freezer for preservation. The eggs get a little runnier, but it still lets me be able to separate them into whites and yolk if I am making mayonnaise or boiling eggs - unlike freezer kept eggs that are supposed to be scrambled before freezing for best quality. I think my eggs would do better and not get a little runnier if they were kept colder instead of at room temperature, but am working on how we can get a "cellar" for colder storage of food items. Right now I just pack them into a carton and then stick the cartons inside of cheap foam ice chests that sit on the floor of my kitchen. We're eating eggs from April/May that are still good. Have been considering going to an oil/beeswax mixture for coating the eggs to see if that gives an even better impermeable shell coating.

Letow the beeswax thing goes!
I'll definitely be trying the mineral oil thing once we're back up to more laying girls next year. Dehydrating is shelf stable...but you have to scramble those too first, I believe.
Have you ever tried salt preserving the yolks? They dry into a little ball, and then you can grate them like parmesan cheese.

Brookshire11.....
I would use hay. It tends to stay in shape better than wood IMHO. Some stores also have straw, but a good old feed store usually (around here anyway) has hay. Then I would put an old fashion light bulb about a foot or so above them. I have read that they don't really see red light, and since it's just for warmth, that should be fine. I wouldn't use a heat lamp with hay or wood chips because of the chance of fire. If it looks like a hen's nest that is ideal. I used this method when I put some youngsters out this spring, when the weather was on the cold side, and it worked out great. Good luck!

Thanks!
They're 7 weeks today. It was in the high 40s this morning an they're all fine, but..you know lol
My last batch..they were spoiled and stayed in until it warmed up. And they we're hatched in January :/
I'm doing a feed store trip this weekend, Ill pick up some stuff.
I cant do a lamp because...we have ONE outlet outside, and it's too far away from the coop.

 

[Sonja1018]

ISO Duck-sitter
...or place to board my duck.

I'm in far northeast Fort Worth and looking for a duck suave person to care for my Doodles (formally known as Qwackerjack) for a week in January 2015.

Doodles is 3 months old & spends most of his day and all night in the house. He is kennel trained (when he feels like it) - "go to your room" and he usually goes to the kennel, LOL. He spends part of his day in the kitchen/dining room (easy mop up tile), and has 2-3 hours each morning & evening in our back yard paddling around in his kiddy pool or nibbling the lawn.
Issue is, I incubated/hatched him & he's very needy of human companionship, he's never seen another duck. He's ok in his kennel overnight or a few hours I'm out running errands but will do best if he has someone who can spend time within his sight.
Oh, and he's not diaper trained yet but we will be working on that next week. :/

I know this is a tall order to fill which is why I'm starting my search now, LOL.

 

[Brookshire11]

ISO Duck-sitter
...or place to board my duck.

I'm in far northeast Fort Worth and looking for a duck suave person to care for my Doodles (formally known as Qwackerjack) for a week in January 2015.

Doodles is 3 months old & spends most of his day and all night in the house. He is kennel trained (when he feels like it) - "go to your room" and he usually goes to the kennel, LOL. He spends part of his day in the kitchen/dining room (easy mop up tile), and has 2-3 hours each morning & evening in our back yard paddling around in his kiddy pool or nibbling the lawn.
Issue is, I incubated/hatched him & he's very needy of human companionship, he's never seen another duck. He's ok in his kennel overnight or a few hours I'm out running errands but will do best if he has someone who can spend time within his sight.
Oh, and he's not diaper trained yet but we will be working on that next week.

I know this is a tall order to fill which is why I'm starting my search now, LOL.

He's a doll!
Good luck!
I'm in McKinney and would watch him in a heartbeat, but I have a young dog, and I can't trust him.

There are a few people closer to Ft Worth though! Maybe one of them can help?

 

[honeysita]

I live outside of glen rose tx and still trying to figure out best material for my run? Any suggestions?

 

[Paul Marx]

Santa Fe here between Houston / Galveston . work for Centerpoint energy on the island . Haven't started on chickens yet . I'm cleaning up the family Pecan orchard . Just checking in and reading all i can .

 

[SavannahsBrood]

Well no expert here, but I do have some chickens. I made the one that is my avatar with welded wire. It was the size to hold maybe 4 or 6 hens. It was movable around the yard. I made a second permanent and I used chicken wire, with welded wire folded into a "L" shape that I placed at the bottom. (2 foot up and 2 foot out from the run). My last one I am almost finished, it is 4 foot chicken wire with welded wire "L" and the bird netting over the top (shaped like a roof top). Once done I will post pics.

The thing to remember is that you will never made a run or coop completely predator proof unless it is air tight. The thing I remember my grandfather saying was to make it more trouble than the meal inside. The only difference in a locked house door and an unlocked one is the amount of work the burglar has to do to get in.

 

[Brookshire11]

Anyone with the broody experience? Im thinking of using the bait and switch, where I just stick a chick under her at night...
She's sitting on absolutely nothing. Lol. And no rooster so the eggs aren't fertilized anyway..
I dont want to spend too much on eggs..since I dont have room for many more, and this is both of our first times.

 

[winteree]

I live outside of glen rose tx and still trying to figure out best material for my run? Any suggestions?

even through it is more expensive to buy I swear by hard wire cloth it's cheapest on amazon. I can raise chicks outside (weather permitting) when they are just a few days old without the fear of snakes or rats slipping through the wire and killing them and without them slipping through the wire and getting killed by the neighbor's cat or a stray hawk. And hardwire cloth is way stronger then chicken wire my grams had two of her neighbors dog stand on top the run end without it filling in. but it comes down to two things what does your predator situation look like and can you afford it.