Egg Question

[CWS4322]

I also have my own chickens - Buff Orpington, Jersey Giant and, the resulting cross breed.

Older hens lay larger eggs, Jersey Giants tend to start at large and move to jumbo size, Buffs start medium and go to extra large. The cross bred ones start at small and go to jumbo as they age.

Other factors are diet of the hens and, if they are molting or not, a poor or inadequate diet and molt get fewer and smaller eggs with smaller ore more pale colored yolks.

I sell a few to friends and, I do not wash the eggs since washing removes the natural coating that helps them keep longer and, they can easily be rinsed off before using them.

Welcome to DC! Is your roo a Buff or Jersey Giant? I have three buff hens (one of which, Eggatha, is my best broody hen). Waiting to see what colour the chicks will be from the X of Buff x RIR or Red Shaver (a red sex link). How large is your flock?

 

[Mad Cook]

I give the shells back to the flock unless I've soft/hard cooked the eggs. I have also heard that feeding them ground up hard cooked eggs (whites and yolks) helps re: calcium. In the winter, I also add calcium because they can't forage and get nutrients from grass and other plants.

Feeding them eggs seems a bit cannibalistic

 

[CWS4322]

Feeding them eggs seems a bit cannibalistic

So does feeding them leftover bits of cooked chicken! (Which they claim tastes just like snake...)

 

[BlueMoods]

Welcome to DC! Is your roo a Buff or Jersey Giant? I have three buff hens (one of which, Eggatha, is my best broody hen). Waiting to see what colour the chicks will be from the X of Buff x RIR or Red Shaver (a red sex link). How large is your flock?

My inital Roo was a Buff, that was until last year. The offspring of him with the Jersey Giants came out giant size and English Game Foul colors so, they are good looking birds.

Now my roo is one of those chicks and, this is his first year as the breeding roo We will see what I get since I have cross bred, buff and, Jersey hens with him and, my setting hen just went to setting solid yesterday - on 27 eggs. (she is a buff.)

As for the "Easter Egg" laying chickens, those would be Arucana or Americana (varieties of the same breed) they do lay green, pink, nearly while yellow, pale blue and, sometimes pale brown eggs that some like to call orange. I had some but, found the roos to be very aggressive toward the hens and people so, I don't have them anymore.

 

[CharlieD]

We rarely see brown eggs in our supermarkets. We pass a sign out in the country that the farmer is selling brown eggs, but we've never stopped. DH won't eat brown eggs. He has a lot of food idiosyncrasies. (I don't really know what idiosyncrasies means, but it sounds like "idiot.") LOL

"idiosyncrasies" - a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.

Though I prefer brown eggs in reality from what I understand there is no difference in the egg quality or taste.

 

[taxlady]

I'm convinced that the brown eggs around here used to be better. I think it is because white is the colour from the factory farms for the most part and brown is the colour that the idiosyncratic, small farmers choose to raise, for the most part. Nothing inherently better about white or brown.

 

[CWS4322]

I did once read that brown eggs are slightly higher in fiber. Can I find that article? No.

BlueMoods--27 eggs! Wow, that is a large clutch to cover. I had heard that Buff roos were aggressive. I had a Barred Plymouth Rock rooster--he was downright nasty (very handsome--but nasty). My RIR and Red Shaver roos are very docile with people and with the girls (no more rooster damage). A nice change from Rocky.

My biggest problem with having chickens is that I can spend hours watching them. They are very entertaining, more so, IMO, than reality TV. I "waste" a lot of time watching "Reality Chickens".

 

[CWS4322]

I'm convinced that the brown eggs around here used to be better. I think it is because white is the colour from the factory farms for the most part and brown is the colour that the idiosyncratic, small farmers choose to raise, for the most part. Nothing inherently better about white or brown.

Most of the white eggs come from Leghorns. For the small producer, this breed is often by-passed because they are "flighty." There are those working on reviving a heritage Leghorn breed. Any eggs from a factory farm will not be as good as those from a small, local producer. The factory hens are not allowed to forage, run around, etc. The feed fed is reflected in the quality and taste of the eggs, IMO. Also, eggs from a local producer will not be "held" in a warehouse, so will be fresher. Speaking of which, next time I come to MTRL (thinking July), do you want eggs?

 

[taxlady]

Most of the white eggs come from Leghorns. For the small producer, this breed is often by-passed because they are "flighty." There are those working on reviving a heritage Leghorn breed. Any eggs from a factory farm will not be as good as those from a small, local producer. The factory hens are not allowed to forage, run around, etc. The feed fed is reflected in the quality and taste of the eggs, IMO. Also, eggs from a local producer will not be "held" in a warehouse, so will be fresher. Speaking of which, next time I come to MTRL (thinking July), do you want eggs?

You betcha! I would love some more of your girls' eggs. Do you want me to save some egg cartons? Do you prefer the plastic kind where you can remove the label?

 

[CWS4322]

You betcha! I would love some more of your girls' eggs. Do you want me to save some egg cartons? Do you prefer the plastic kind where you can remove the label?

YES! Always need egg cartons, I don't care what kind--just so they hold eggs!

 

[taxlady]

YES! Always need egg cartons, I don't care what kind--just so they hold eggs!

I'll start saving them.

 

[Mad Cook]

So does feeding them leftover bits of cooked chicken! (Which they claim tastes just like snake...)

 

[Mad Cook]

I'm convinced that the brown eggs around here used to be better. I think it is because white is the colour from the factory farms for the most part and brown is the colour that the idiosyncratic, small farmers choose to raise, for the most part. Nothing inherently better about white or brown.

Yes, I can see your point about the different sources.

 

[Kayelle]

So does feeding them leftover bits of cooked chicken! (Which they claim tastes just like snake...)

I snorted my coffee over that one.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Thin egg shells can be caused by a hot chicken house. I forget the exact mechanism, but when the girls pant, it changes the calcium level in the blood. Less calcium, thinner shells.