Good info for those new to chickens. So long as they are not washed, they stay longer. There is a protective membrane on them or something. Been a few years since we've had them.
TOO Homesteading
- Thread starter bowhunter1023
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Buckmaster
Senior Member
Or maybe she didn’t like you? 
JK . Hicks is right. Most people don’t know it but when you get your eggs from a store they are already six weeks old.
If you have ever tried to boil a farm fresh egg it’s a mess. Store bought the shells come off okay I guess that’s because inside the egg an air pocket is created by the time they hit the shelve.
If anyone is planning on buy hens that are already laying look at their legs. They should be a nice solid yellow color. If they are bleach white they have been laying for a while. I learned this the hard way one time. Bought a bunch Broke down with like 36 full grown chickens in back of my Yukon. Had to call a tow truck driver yes they got loose in the 3 plus hours of being broke down it was a nasty hot mess
. Then I Get home and find out after two weeks not one of the damn things laid eggs. Called the fella back said I’d give them back to him never heard from him agin. I should have known we he showed up at Lowe’s and he showed me an egg on laid on the way there.. Also buying a grown or started bird keep them in coup for atleast a week before letting them out to free range two weeks if needed. So they know where home is.
As far as medicated feed goes I will usually feed one bag to a baby chicks once they have been in contact with dirt for a week or two. Your good to go. You can stop feeding medicated. Some people will add some apple cider vinegar to their water about a table spoon per gallon day it helps with digestion and worms also will calm the birds. I’ve done that but I switched it up to beer. Give them a couple beers here and there they good to go. They get a lil more social with one another at that point it’s over who is hogging the bowl and who can crow the loudest. Well worth the their safety and health.
If you never raised them personally I do not like eggs fresh as in the day laid. I like them to sit a few days before consuming them. The very first few eggs they lay I throw out or feed back to them. Yuck. If you do feed them back to them just crunch up shell real small and mix in food. Don’t let them see you do it tho. Or they figure it out then they start smashing and eating their own eggs.
Last but not least if you free range them never feed them (treats)when they are close to the house I always fail at this but it will create problems. Only feed them by the coup.
Also if you talk to them call them names well not individually named but as a whole You go out to coup them up,yell what ever it is ya call them. I won’t be saying what I call mine anyhow they will come running just like a dog would. Sort of funny.
JK . Hicks is right. Most people don’t know it but when you get your eggs from a store they are already six weeks old.If you have ever tried to boil a farm fresh egg it’s a mess. Store bought the shells come off okay I guess that’s because inside the egg an air pocket is created by the time they hit the shelve.
If anyone is planning on buy hens that are already laying look at their legs. They should be a nice solid yellow color. If they are bleach white they have been laying for a while. I learned this the hard way one time. Bought a bunch Broke down with like 36 full grown chickens in back of my Yukon. Had to call a tow truck driver yes they got loose in the 3 plus hours of being broke down it was a nasty hot mess
. Then I Get home and find out after two weeks not one of the damn things laid eggs. Called the fella back said I’d give them back to him never heard from him agin. I should have known we he showed up at Lowe’s and he showed me an egg on laid on the way there.. Also buying a grown or started bird keep them in coup for atleast a week before letting them out to free range two weeks if needed. So they know where home is.As far as medicated feed goes I will usually feed one bag to a baby chicks once they have been in contact with dirt for a week or two. Your good to go. You can stop feeding medicated. Some people will add some apple cider vinegar to their water about a table spoon per gallon day it helps with digestion and worms also will calm the birds. I’ve done that but I switched it up to beer. Give them a couple beers here and there they good to go. They get a lil more social with one another at that point it’s over who is hogging the bowl and who can crow the loudest. Well worth the their safety and health.
If you never raised them personally I do not like eggs fresh as in the day laid. I like them to sit a few days before consuming them. The very first few eggs they lay I throw out or feed back to them. Yuck. If you do feed them back to them just crunch up shell real small and mix in food. Don’t let them see you do it tho. Or they figure it out then they start smashing and eating their own eggs.
Last but not least if you free range them never feed them (treats)when they are close to the house I always fail at this but it will create problems. Only feed them by the coup.
Also if you talk to them call them names well not individually named but as a whole You go out to coup them up,yell what ever it is ya call them. I won’t be saying what I call mine anyhow they will come running just like a dog would. Sort of funny.
After a lot of experimenting, I was able to "crack" the code with this. Steaming them is the trick, but the key is a good ice bath. Steam for 27 minutes, then shock in an ice bath for 15 minutes. You'll still have a few casualties, which make good dog treats, but it works WAY better than any other method we have tried. Waiting a couple of weeks is obviously better, but I have successfully peeled day old eggs with this method.
Jesse, you ever try baking them in the oven, then shocking them with the ice water? That’s how I’ve been doing the store bought ones. Curious how it’d work with fresher ones
We did. I wasn't impressed. To me, by baking the shell, it imparts a flavor to the egg. Nothing terrible, but they taste different to me.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
Momma always taught me....boil them with a little salt and vinegar...then immediately shock with a batch or two of ice water...works on store bought eggs. My wife said she didn’t want chickens....the same girl that’s at the food bank handing out food today.
Sgt Fury
Sgt. Spellchecker
And you always have that “one” that will lay eggs everywhere but the coop!
triple_duece
Ragin Cajun.
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We’ve had success cooking in the instapot. Works good and haven’t had any issues. The starter mash is medicated and when they feather out they will get put in the coop. As for treating w worms we feed pumpkin as it’s a natural wormer and don’t have to wait to keep eggs.
When I said free range we let them out the coop during the day and they go back in the evening. It’s hard to get them all back in during the day and will have that one hold out bitch so we always wait till they go to roost. They will go back to the coop to lay their egg. As of yet we haven’t found an egg “outside”. If you free range them 24/7 you will always be on an Easter egg hunt lol.
When I said free range we let them out the coop during the day and they go back in the evening. It’s hard to get them all back in during the day and will have that one hold out bitch so we always wait till they go to roost. They will go back to the coop to lay their egg. As of yet we haven’t found an egg “outside”. If you free range them 24/7 you will always be on an Easter egg hunt lol.
These ladies are super happy it's spring. In the matter of 6 weeks we went from 3-4 eggs a day, to 8+. With me being home, I'm letting them free range all day, and I swear that adds an egg or two a day to production. The yolks on these eggs will be unlike any store bought egg you can find. Our ducks are laying too, but I feed those to the dogs. But the yolks on the duck eggs are unreal. Golf ball sized and nearly orange.
Big_Holla
Senior Member
Buckmaster
Senior Member
Duck eggs are super-rich and high in umami. They are great for baking. We simply have more eggs than time and the duck eggs require more cleaning due to their wet/muddy nature, so I'd rather feed them to the dogs. I didn't get ducks for the eggs, so they're just a by-product and I treat them as such.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
I'd recommend it if they're going to winter in there. Running a heat lamp will be necessary when it gets into the low 20s and below. You can run an extension cord obviously, but having power there is nice.
Duck eggs are great! We used to get them from an old lady who used to run the bait shot we frequented
Couple of fried over easy duck eggs on top of a thick pancake...touch of homemade maple syrup.
Buckmaster
Senior Member
I’ll look for a used coup and a long extension cord. My buddy burnt his barn down with a heat lamp so I’m cautious about that.