Farm fresh eggs vs Store bought

[2die4]

I'm assuming besides bugs and other seeds the birds eat in a yard the feed is quality compared to the hormone low quality filler food cocktail they feed chickens that are destined for the store shelves. Right?

[bacpacker]

I have been planning to build a larger run for mine and had been considering diving it up like you mentioned. Works for cattle, why not birds? I have also been planning on planting different crops in the pens so there is a variety of stuff for them to choose from. Even down to what grows well in summer vs winter. Just take me a little advance planning.

Mine get all our scraps, whatever they dig up or find on their own, and I keep cracked corn out for them. I have bought some mash for mine a couple of times and they just don't eat it. I really didn't see a difference in egg production either.

I do plan on trying to grow my own open pollinated corn this summer to feed them. I have a old hand crank sheller, now I just need to find a rough grinder to crack it with.

[LUNCHBOX]

All this chicken talk.....I just went and picked up 4 Rhode Island Reds today.

J24, I had few brown Leg Horns that would give double yolks often and I agree having a roo may give a healthier egg (imo)

Something else...if you do free range make sure you look for hidden laying dens. (My Heelers got plenty of eggs over their dogfood for that reason)

[Sniper-T]

hmmmm... thinking again about a chicken tractor....

fresh egg info:

In a fresh egg, the yolk stands tall and the white is thick and cloudy. In an older egg, the yolk looks flatter and breaks easily, and the white is thin and watery.

The best eggs for boiling are the ones on their way to standing up because that extra air makes peeling easier. That's why you should buy eggs for hard-cooking at least a week ahead of time.

How To Test Freshness of Eggs: A simple test in water will answer the freshness question for you. Place the egg in a bowl of water; if it lies on its side, it is very fresh. As it ages, the air pocket inside the egg grows, which buoys the egg up so it stands on one end. If the egg floats to the top, it is ready for the trash.

from here:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/BoiledEggs.htm

[ladyhk13]

My sister has several different breeds and I end up with brown eggs (which by the way aren't any healthier than any other egg, it's a scam), blue eggs, white, cream colored, large, medium and small. I've even gotten some speckled. Each breed has it's own egg traits and the number of eggs it lays also depends upon the number of hours of sunlight there is. That's why they lay less in the winter.

[4suchatimeasthis]

I'm down to just Rhode Isl Reds, but they are faithful layers. They lay all shades of brown to cream eggs, some have speckles on them, once in a great while I will get a double yolked egg. Sometimes the eggs are oddly shaped, kinda elongated, maybe a little bumpy.

My girls love scraps, layer pellets, crushed oyster shells which they have free access to. So their shells are pretty tough, but they do get soft if I let the oyster shells run out. They love bugs and baby mice. Yes, I know, it's nasty. Also, we keep a "bug jar" in the house, often trapping wasps and such, and we put them in the fridge until they slow down (cold = hibernation), and then we feed em to the chickens. OMG, they go nuts. Grasshoppers are another favorite, lol.

They are in a tractor for now, it's protected on 3 sides from the wind and rain, and of course it's covered. We have a lot of hawks around here, and I have lost a few chickens to them, so eventually we would have to build a covered run.

Fresh eggs are wonderful! If only we had some fresh bacon to go with......

[Jimmy24]

I'm down to just Rhode Isl Reds, but they are faithful layers. They lay all shades of brown to cream eggs, some have speckles on them, once in a great while I will get a double yolked egg. Sometimes the eggs are oddly shaped, kinda elongated, maybe a little bumpy.

My girls love scraps, layer pellets, crushed oyster shells which they have free access to. So their shells are pretty tough, but they do get soft if I let the oyster shells run out. They love bugs and baby mice. Yes, I know, it's nasty. Also, we keep a "bug jar" in the house, often trapping wasps and such, and we put them in the fridge until they slow down (cold = hibernation), and then we feed em to the chickens. OMG, they go nuts. Grasshoppers are another favorite, lol.

They are in a tractor for now, it's protected on 3 sides from the wind and rain, and of course it's covered. We have a lot of hawks around here, and I have lost a few chickens to them, so eventually we would have to build a covered run.

Fresh eggs are wonderful! If only we had some fresh bacon to go with......

YUMMMMIE!!!! I LOVE ME SOME BACON!!!

I got the pork, but them feral hawgs at 70-100 pounds just don't have enogh bacon on them to make the effort....

Jimmy

- - - Updated - - -

All this chicken talk.....I just went and picked up 4 Rhode Island Reds today.

J24, I had few brown Leg Horns that would give double yolks often and I agree having a roo may give a healthier egg (imo)

Something else...if you do free range make sure you look for hidden laying dens. (My Heelers got plenty of eggs over their dogfood for that reason)

Are you ever so right..... But what the heck, they do make the doggies coats sooo shiny...

Jimmy