Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I had a pet chicken named Gertie once, but she ran away. We never found her...
When my son lived just on the fringes between suburbia and rural country, one day a hen appeared and took up residence under the bougainvillea in the front yard. They put out water for her and she was around for a couple of weeks, then just disappeared. There are coons, possums, etc. around here, so there's no telling what happened to her. She never laid any eggs. Her name was Gertie.
I imagine there's a huge market for yolk-less eggs.
Better than Egg Beaters and better than throwing away the yolk.
The broodiness has already been bred out of a lot of birds and made it so meat chickens grow at such a rate, that many breeds' legs can't support them. Few live to be 18 months if one were so inclined to have a chicken that is of a breed for meat as a pet. The double-yolkers don't produce eggs as long as single yolkers, double-yolk eggs are usually larger, which can put the hen's life at risk. Yolk-less eggs are not the norm. Eggs are a perfect source of protein--why mess with perfection?i'm sure you don't realize what might come out of such thinking, but OMG, i certainly hope the food industry doesn't try to mess with hens and homones in order to try for yolk-less eggs.
birds, in such a long, successful evolution, are already the most prolific breeding creatures at immature ages.
i can see a day where food companies feed chicks drugs so they never develop yolks.
sorry about the rant.
CWS4322 said:The broodiness has already been bred out of a lot of birds and made it so meat chickens grow at such a rate, that many breeds' legs can't support them. Few live to be 18 months if one were so inclined to have a chicken that is of a breed for meat as a pet. The double-yolkers don't produce eggs as long as single yolkers, double-yolk eggs are usually larger, which can put the hen's life at risk. Yolk-less eggs are not the norm. Eggs are a perfect source of protein--why mess with perfection?
I could not agree more, we are lucky, chicken Tim lives nearby and his 30 hens produce luscious eggs. I like the fact that the run is fully enclosed with mesh so its vermin proof. We swap him veg for his eggs in the summer cakes and pies in the winter.That's too bad, Bolas. Free-range eggs are lower in cholesterol than store eggs...chicken poo is great fertilizer for the garden, and chickens are very entertaining. There's nothing like gathering the eggs when they are still warm, bringing them in, tossing them into a CI and watching them dance around the pan. The whites don't overlap. And then, the absolutely "out-of-this-world" taste. I'm going to go gather some eggs when the sun comes up and do just that, have the freshest eggs I can possibly have for breakfast.
I could not agree more, we are lucky, chicken Tim lives nearby and his 30 hens produce luscious eggs. I like the fact that the run is fully enclosed with mesh so its vermin proof. We swap him veg for his eggs in the summer cakes and pies in the winter.
Racoons will reach through wire and grab chickens. Typically they just bite the heads off. Skunks will dig under and get the chickens--again, biting the heads off. Hawks also bite the heads off, as do owls. I have wire on top and bottom of my enclosed run, and used hardware wire (1/4"). The coop is elevated so the chickens can get off the ground and away from predators. I lock mine in at dusk. During the day, at least one is standing guard, watching the sky, etc. They bolt for the coop and their perches if the one on sentry duty raises an alarm. They are really afraid of the airplanes that sometimes fly over. BTW, chickens eat mice and snakes.
During the day, at least one is standing guard, watching the sky, etc. They bolt for the coop and their perches if the one on sentry duty raises an alarm. They are really afraid of the airplanes that sometimes fly over. BTW, chickens eat mice and snakes.
tinlizzie--they LOVE mice. The one that catches a mouse runs for cover licketly-split--no interest in sharing. Mine have not actually caught a snake, but my MIL was terrified of snakes. When a child, all she had to do was scream when she saw a snake and the Plymouth Rocks would come running and kill the snake and eat it.. The person I bought my PRs from told me her's eat snakes (as well as mice).