Eggs

[jakethesnake]

I’ve got 15 hens. Mixed Orpington leghorn Rhode Island Red golden laced something or other.

They’ve been laying good Local feed 15$ 50 pound

No heat gets below freezing in there pretty well every night

Have watered them in a dog dish occasionally when things just won’t thaw naturally

Feed em scraps too. They’ll eat basically anything. They kinda freak out over grapes and raisins which I find strange. They love em

Leghorns seem to be the best layers for me. Rhode Island’s are good. Got a broody one that seems to prefer to stay that way.

Could easily break even or make a few bucks the way I’m doing it but as long as everyone has eggs around me they’re really just there because I like looking at them. If I remember I’ll add pictures

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Once hens reach 2-3 years of age you can pretty well expect their production to tank during the winter months in the northern regions, regardless of breed. It's just the nature of the beast.
People ask if Raising chickens is "worth it". The answer really depends on the individual and their expectations. If strictly looking at it from a monetary stand point your doing Good to break even. Of course it would be easier to make money with prices the way they are now but how long will it last. If that is ones only metric for raising chickens I would say hold off and see how things shake out. Making money isn't the best reason to take the leap.

i don't raise chick-a-dees... but i do like fresh yard eggs. my fav flock is currently about 13 he tells me and they are getting 2-3 eggs a day. i was lucky to get 18 other day. he said the layers are getting close to 3 yrs old and so their egg production is slowing down. best darn eggs ever! even the whites have flavor....

BL's lumberjack breakfast day before. spuds in cast iron. and in duck grease! even included toast!

 

[sean donato]

What kind of waterer does she have? The water always freezes first in the water trough that is exposed to air, the red part in the picture. It would be hard to insulate this part and still have access for the chickens to drink? It has to be really cold for the resevoir to freeze up too.

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It's literally a bucket. She took a 5 gallon bucket cut it down and stuffed a smaller bucket inside and filled the gap with insulaction. Seemed like a good idea. We use a 2.5 gal bucket for water but it hasn't froze yet so I haven't worried about it. Just thought it was a good idea. Only thing I really thought may be wrong is the buckets need sealed somehow so the birds can't peck at the insulation and the insulation doesn't get wet.

i don't raise chick-a-dees... but i do like fresh yard eggs. my fav flock is currently about 13 he tells me and they are getting 2-3 eggs a day. i was lucky to get 18 other day. he said the layers are getting close to 3 yrs old and so their egg production is slowing down. best darn eggs ever! even the whites have flavor....

BL's lumberjack breakfast day before. spuds in cast iron. and in duck grease! even included toast!
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You can always tell a farm/yard chicken egg. Those yokes never really get that deep yellow color from the egg houses.

 

[TRTermite]

I probably have several hundred egg cartons that I am considering putting a CL. I figure with everyone wanting to produce eggs now somebody could use them.

5 ? or 6? years ago I saw a Craigslist Add wanting to trade 2 eggs for 2 empty egg cartons. They put the color, egg size, Can't remember all of it but I Assumed it was a good prank..

 

[wampum]

I probably have several hundred egg cartons that I am considering putting a CL. I figure with everyone wanting to produce eggs now somebody could use them.

Do your research. I think in rural king they are $.89 cents each. Used ones are $.25 to $.50 cents each On Craig’s list
Heck they may bring more.

 

[wampum]

Last summer when we were getting a lot more eggs my wife water glassed probably over 30 dozen. We are just now are starting to use them. We are selling all the fresh eggs we can and using water glassed eggs from last summer. You can not tell those eggs are about 8 months old. We have never kept them longer than a year but we have read where some folks keep them up to 24 months.

If you have never heard of this it is easy to do. We have those large pickle jars with wide lids so you can get your hand in. You use pickling lime and water. We use fresh unwashed eggs. I could be wrong but we were told washed eggs do not work. Washing them we were told takes a protective layer off of them. you just keep them in a cool dark place and when the hens do not lay you still have plenty of eggs.

 

[Lightning Performance]

Do your research. I think in rural king they are $.89 cents each. Used ones are $.25 to $.50 cents each On Craig’s list
Heck they may bring more.

Cool I have about a thousand in my attic from the past decade or so. Maybe less idk.

 

[jakethesnake]

Red rooster is mean as a snake
Big yellow one is friendly.
Last picture is broody Rhode Island She’s hateful too

11 eggs today and lost a hen to a hawk. Hawk may turn up missing if he doesn’t find something else to hunt

 

[jakethesnake]

Not sure what those other red hens are but they’re not Rhode islands

 

[JRM]

Red rooster is mean as a snake

Had one just like him. Didn't dare turn your back on him he'd spurr ya in a second. Every single day was a fight. My right leg got really conditioned with that one
He ended up on the wrong end of a fight with a coon, but no hens died so he did his job in my book.

 

[jakethesnake]

Had one just like him. Didn't dare turn your back on him he'd spurr ya in a second. Every single day was a fight. My right leg got really conditioned with that one
He ended up on the wrong end of a fight with a coon, but no hens died so he did his job in my book.

Same. This one has his azz kicked by me every time he gets brave again. He then behaves for a week or more. Then back to the same nonsense. I guess I kinda like him though. I get mad as could be for about 30 seconds then just laugh. He does good watching the hens. I have saw him try to fight a hawk. He wanted to go but the hawk wasn’t bout it. Stood out in the open all flared up squeaking at the hawk. I figure he can stay around

 

[JRM]

It's just how they're hard wired. Ain't no Friendly's with that pea brain mentality.

 

[Bill G]

When we would have a rooster or hen that was too aggressive my wife would say "go give that one a ride". I would take them on a cruise to a field a good ways from home and set them free. They never seemed to find their way back

 

[esshup]

My neighbors couldn't kill any of their birds, they'd just leave them out of the coop so they could fend for themselves at night. A few hens figured out how to roost in a big white pine tree - they survived until they were 8 or 9 years old - they lived a good 4-5 years out of the coop 24/7.. They even survived -20°F over night a few years ago. The roosters that they put out of the coop would only last 1, maybe 2 nights. One lasted a few months because he hung around with the 2 old hens, but once they died off he went back to spending the night on the ground. IIRC he made it 3 nights in a row then there were just feathers in the yard. I had a Brama rooster that they let out spend 2 nights on top of my trash can, but the 3rd morning there was a trail of feathers heading back to the woods. I guess it was big enough that whatever nabbed it couldn't carry it.

 

[Bill G]

We had one that would roost on the top of our brick chimney. I wish I still had the pics of that.

 

[sean donato]

Last summer when we were getting a lot more eggs my wife water glassed probably over 30 dozen. We are just now are starting to use them. We are selling all the fresh eggs we can and using water glassed eggs from last summer. You can not tell those eggs are about 8 months old. We have never kept them longer than a year but we have read where some folks keep them up to 24 months.

If you have never heard of this it is easy to do. We have those large pickle jars with wide lids so you can get your hand in. You use pickling lime and water. We use fresh unwashed eggs. I could be wrong but we were told washed eggs do not work. Washing them we were told takes a protective layer off of them. you just keep them in a cool dark place and when the hens do not lay you still have plenty of eggs.

Yep, don't wash them. They can stay on the counter for a few weeks then time to stick them in the fridge or water glass them. Im trying to convince the wife to do it, but she's been pretty hesitant.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

It's literally a bucket. She took a 5 gallon bucket cut it down and stuffed a smaller bucket inside and filled the gap with insulaction. Seemed like a good idea. We use a 2.5 gal bucket for water but it hasn't froze yet so I haven't worried about it. Just thought it was a good idea. Only thing I really thought may be wrong is the buckets need sealed somehow so the birds can't peck at the insulation and the insulation doesn't get wet.

You can always tell a farm/yard chicken egg. Those yokes never really get that deep yellow color from the egg houses.

you are right! got some at Sam's other day. says cage free! BFD! small and salt to taste. i do prefer store bot for scrambled. save my yard eggs for spuds n bacon or sausage on a cold lumberjack's morning...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Last summer when we were getting a lot more eggs my wife water glassed probably over 30 dozen. We are just now are starting to use them. We are selling all the fresh eggs we can and using water glassed eggs from last summer. You can not tell those eggs are about 8 months old. We have never kept them longer than a year but we have read where some folks keep them up to 24 months.

If you have never heard of this it is easy to do. We have those large pickle jars with wide lids so you can get your hand in. You use pickling lime and water. We use fresh unwashed eggs. I could be wrong but we were told washed eggs do not work. Washing them we were told takes a protective layer off of them. you just keep them in a cool dark place and when the hens do not lay you still have plenty of eggs.

i have had yard eggs that were about 6 mo old and still made a tasty breakfast... but that is about the edge of my limits...

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Cool I have about a thousand in my attic from the past decade or so. Maybe less idk.

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

View attachment 1055372View attachment 1055373View attachment 1055374View attachment 1055375Red rooster is mean as a snake
Big yellow one is friendly.
Last picture is broody Rhode Island She’s hateful too

11 eggs today and lost a hen to a hawk. Hawk may turn up missing if he doesn’t find something else to hunt

pole and a trap!!