The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
@tjo804 I wanted to know your method too

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

I crush my egg shells and give them back to the chickens for calcium.

I used to do that, but then I attended a workshop on backyard chicken diseases, and the veterinary pathologist (from state lab, UC Davis) recommended against doing that. Reason she gave is that the eggs and particularly shells can hold on to heavy metals like lead. So, if you have any traces of heavy metals (like old houses with lead paint), even it's not making you or the chickens sick yet, but feeding back the shells, it raises the potential of increasing the toxicity in their bodies, and eventually you, when eating the eggs.

 

[ronott1]

I crush my egg shells and give them back to the chickens for calcium.

Can I ask how you dehydrate/rehydrate eggs???? I have read about freezing them, but it sounds complicated. I read that you have to mix the white and yolk together and then add salt for savory/cooking or sugar for sweet/baking to stabilize the partially beaten egg before freezing. Really?!? I would like something simple to be able to save eggs next spring/summer.

Just use a dehydrator with the solid insert in it.

Like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Nesco-SLD-2-R...8-3&keywords=nesco+fd-1040&pebp=1416931274738



Scramble the eggs first and then pour them in. After they are dry, they will break up into a powder. Look for a chart for how much powder equals and egg in baking. You can also make scrambled eggs from the powder.

 

[tjo804]

DEHYDRATED EGGS
I just crack the eggs into my mixer like I would for making a cake and beat them until they are about to overflow the bowl.

I line my dehydrator trays with syran wrap and scoop the foam onto the tray. Beat it up again if needed and set the dehydrator at 135 to 140 degrees and let it go for about 4 hours when it looks crusty and there is no moisture I dump it off the syran into the blender and make powder pour in zip lock and it is ready to go

To re-hydrate I add 1 TBSP egg powder to 2 TBSP water quick stir let sit 3 to 5 minutes and cook it.

I do not worry about the dehydrate temp killing any germs because I cook / bake with the egg powder and that kills the germs if you are worried about that dehydrate between 165 and 170 degrees.

the mixer before hand really makes a difference in the quality of re-hydrated powder. even my scrambled eggs have cooked up fluffy.

in a zip lock or storage container it should last about 1 year. If you have a vacuum sealer they say it can last up to 10 years.

best tip is to keep them fluffy into the dehydrator it makes ALOT of difference in the end quality.


Nice orange look just like my yolks!

 

[tjo804]

oh the 1 TBSP powder to 2 TBSP water is equal to 1 whole egg.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks! I like the idea of doing them without cooking first. I have to admit that I haven't looked at my dehydrating book for eggs as I never thought of doing it before.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

DEHYDRATED EGGS I just crack the eggs into my mixer like I would for making a cake and beat them until they are about to overflow the bowl. I line my dehydrator trays with syran wrap and scoop the foam onto the tray. Beat it up again if needed and set the dehydrator at 135 to 140 degrees and let it go for about 4 hours when it looks crusty and there is no moisture I dump it off the syran into the blender and make powder pour in zip lock and it is ready to go To re-hydrate I add 1 TBSP egg powder to 2 TBSP water quick stir let sit 3 to 5 minutes and cook it. I do not worry about the dehydrate temp killing any germs because I cook / bake with the egg powder and that kills the germs if you are worried about that dehydrate between 165 and 170 degrees. the mixer before hand really makes a difference in the quality of re-hydrated powder. even my scrambled eggs have cooked up fluffy. in a zip lock or storage container it should last about 1 year. If you have a vacuum sealer they say it can last up to 10 years. best tip is to keep them fluffy into the dehydrator it makes ALOT of difference in the end quality. Nice orange look just like my yolks!

Thanks! Another reason for me to get a food dehydrator!

 

[ronott1]

Thanks! Another reason for me to get a food dehydrator!

Yes!

Americans were turned off to powdered egg because of the nasty ones forced on people during the Depression and WWII. Our eggs make much better dehydrated eggs.

The same thing happened with Lamb.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Yes!

Americans were turned off to powdered egg because of the nasty ones forced on people during the Depression and WWII. Our eggs make much better dehydrated eggs.

The same thing happened with Lamb.

Yeah. I wouldn't buy commercial dehydrated eggs, but would use my own. It's really a great idea for things like camping or long egg withdrawal periods from administering meds.

I'm experiencing that now...3 of my 4 egg layers got sick and I was forced to medicate them when less invasive natural interventions weren't enough. Because of the withdrawal period, I have over 2 dozen unusable eggs. I've been hoarding eggs from my remaining egg layer, but have had to buy eggs from the store for holiday baking. Now, if I had a back up stash of dehydrated eggs, then I could use all my own eggs for holiday cooking!

 

[armorfirelady]

@Sally8 here are this years pullets. They will be 24 weeks this Saturday. Glad to see them out of the coop. Bird seed is a great incentive. Everyone is out today. I was able to shovel a path To the a frame I made for them. Of course I had to unbury it lol. I dumped the DL I had used in their temporary quarters in the garden as well. They are having fun digging thru it