Winter egg laying

[FortCluck]

I have both, my dh won't eat duck eggs unless it's in baking products. So we eat chicken eggs and my dogs get most of the duck eggs except for the ones I keep for baking. I like duck eggs for making egg salad. He doesn't know it but he eats them that way. It's what you are use too. Most of us here in the USA grew up on chicken eggs. Now my goose lays an egg very similar to a chicken egg other than being huge. Omelets are awesome.

My husband LOVES duck eggs... None have laid any yet though.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Late last summer I froze 30 eggs. I put them in little cups, scrambled them and put them in the freezer. I popped them out of their little cups and put them in zip lock bags.

I thought my girls would stop laying because that's what I had heard but they really haven't. So instead of using the frozen eggs for baking, I've been giving them to the dogs every day in their food. When I thaw them out they look very weird and not very appetizing but when I put them in the microwave for 1 minute they come out looking exactly like a fresh egg looks.

The dogs aren't complaining but I can't honestly say if they are good for baking with or not because I've been using fresh ones for all my Christmas baking. I think if I had to I would use them based on how they look after being cooked.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Well my oddball hen has resumed laying, which is most unexpected as she previously has only laid maybe 6 eggs total. She has also stopped roosting at night and gets into a nest box, but I kick her out and then she spends the night slowly shuffling around the coop like a starfish on the sea floor. She really is the strangest chicken!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Well my oddball hen has resumed laying, which is most unexpected as she previously has only laid maybe 6 eggs total. She has also stopped roosting at night and gets into a nest box, but I kick her out and then she spends the night slowly shuffling around the coop like a starfish on the sea floor. She really is the strangest chicken!

That's kind of funny. But I wonder where she is in the PO and if the other girls won't allow her roosting space? We have one that tends to "camp out" in the summer time; she tries to roost outside on the window sill next to where the other girls roost, and I suspect she's the same one that, now that it's cold, is sleeping in a nest. I'm beginning to suspect a pecking order issue.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's kind of funny. But I wonder where she is in the PO and if the other girls won't allow her roosting space? We have one that tends to "camp out" in the summer time; she tries to roost outside on the window sill next to where the other girls roost, and I suspect she's the same one that, now that it's cold, is sleeping in a nest. I'm beginning to suspect a pecking order issue.

In this case it's a health issue - this is a bird with neurological issues (she can't balance well, can't really walk in a straight line) and deformed feet. But for all her problems she seems pretty happy. She used to sleep on our lower roost (she couldn't get up to the higher) but it seems that now her body's back in laying shape it's thrown off her balance even more (she's carrying her tail lower than before). I have a "baby" roost bar that's maybe 3" off the ground, and I put her on it after dusk, but she'll eventually fall off and start wandering.

She's actually quite high in the pecking order, has no issues holding her own among the older hens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

In this case it's a health issue - this is a bird with neurological issues (she can't balance well, can't really walk in a straight line) and deformed feet. But for all her problems she seems pretty happy. She used to sleep on our lower roost (she couldn't get up to the higher) but it seems that now her body's back in laying shape it's thrown off her balance even more (she's carrying her tail lower than before). I have a "baby" roost bar that's maybe 3" off the ground, and I put her on it after dusk, but she'll eventually fall off and start wandering.

She's actually quite high in the pecking order, has no issues holding her own among the older hens.

Cool! Thanks for clarifying. I wish her well.

 

[David61]

My mixed flock of barred rocks , orpington and ISA browns are 21-22 weeks old. No eggs yet but Santa knows the have been good girls. I'm checking the coop, i'm checking it twice a day....

 

[igorsMistress]

My husband hasn't eaten a store bought egg for years. When we didn't have chickens we were getting them from friends.

I'll have to freeze them and see how it works. My dogs probably won't care if they're frozen then cooked.

I gave some to my Dr and he's addicted to them now. I also gave some to his other patients, now they all want more.

https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/f/freezing-eggs/

I had that happen but nobody wants to pay, they want free. I'm not a food bank so I quit giving when winter came last year and told Igor we're not giving eggs to anyone. If they want eggs, a donation to the feed bill is required.

 

[FortCluck]

https://www.incredibleegg.org/eggcyclopedia/f/freezing-eggs/

I had that happen but nobody wants to pay, they want free. I'm not a food bank so I quit giving when winter came last year and told Igor we're not giving eggs to anyone. If they want eggs, a donation to the feed bill is required.

So true about no one paying. Everyone wants free stuff, but in the end we have to pay for it by feeding and caring for all the animals.

 

[FortCluck]

I'm wondering if my girls will lay more now that Sid is gone. He was stressing them out so bad.

Today was the FIRST day I've ever seen Pants (Cochin) hang out with the flock. Sid was really a bully. When Squatch would mate with the girls, Sid would stand there and peck their heads or step on them.