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Newbie - can I ask a question please?

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Hi all,

 

I am very pleased to say that the family purchased a very smart purple eglu yesterday from a fellow omletter complete with two rather fantastic hens. We have never kept chickens before and are extremely amazed that, despite a move to a new home, that the ladies have laid an egg each today :)

 

I know it is recommended that the chickens stay in their run for about 5 days to get to know their new home but the ladies have settled in so well and tried to get out the door when hubby gave them some more water that they had a roam around the garden for about half an hour tonight.

 

Anyway , my question :

I seem to recall that a local farmer said not to eat the egg on the day of lay - is this right? Also how long do the eggs keep?

 

Oh and can chickens eat apple?

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Hi ya Welcome to this wonderful forum! :D

 

Ours laid on the 1st day too. We kept ours in the run for just over 5 days and they been fine. As for the farmer saying don't eat the first, I never heard that one. Someone else will probably be along in a mo that may know more. I ate the first and we were fine. Thing is they could have already been laying from where you got them from. When we went to our breeder lots of the hens had already started laying. Not sure about whether they can have apple, I would have thought so but best let someone else comment. I heard they can have melon too! We give ours porridge made with water, sweetcorn, pasta. They can have a few things but not dairy products, too much fat for them. We give the pasta plain, not anything in sauce. Hope this helps a bit.

 

 

Also we keep the eggs for no longer than 3 weeks, you can test by placing in a jug of water, but once you wet them they should be eaten straightaway because of bacteria entering through the shell. The bacteria then grows inside could be dangerous. An egg that's fresh will stay at the bottom of jug and egg that's off will float. An egg that's a week old will stand upwards slightly. We don't wash eggs because of that either, if poo gets on them which is rare we just brush it off and when you cook it, it kills any bacteria anyway.

 

Enjoy your hens, they great fun, best pets we had!

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Thanks for your reply! The forum is great isn't it! BTW do you know what breed the Ginger Nut Ranger is? We have acquired two and the brochure we got from omlet doesn't actually say. I know the Miss Pepperpot is a hybrid from the Rhode Island Red and my friend seemed to think that my two ladies are also from a Rhode Island Red?

 

Ali

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new-laid eggs are particularly yummy! If you want to hard-boil them, or make meringues, then it's worth using your oldest eggs as very new egg-whites don't whisk well, and new eggs are much harder to peel.

 

I never have old eggs though - they are snapped up by friends or used by me within about a week usually.

 

Some of my hens love apple, others won't touch it - try cutting it into bits to begin with, but mine will launch into a whole one and demolish it in no time.

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I seem to recall that a local farmer said not to eat the egg on the day of lay - is this right??

He might have meant not to eat the 'first one ever' egg? When mine laid their first ever brand new eggs I couldn't eat them!

 

Prototype springs to mind... :D

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Thank you all so much for your replies! The ladies have left over mash on the menu for their afternoon treat today.

 

My little boy knows which is his already. He is two on Saturday and keeps saying "mine". He simply loves them. I quite like them too and even managed to sit on the garden bench with them around my feet last night even though I have a bird phobia. I think now it must be the flapping I have a phobia of rather than actual birds. You never know I might even pick them up one day.

 

Thanks again.

 

Ali :)

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if you hardboil a really fresh egg the shell doesn't come away easily so it is better to use older eggs for hard boiling but fresh eggs are fine for all other purposes.

 

My MIL is keen on leaving eggs until they are at least 3 weeks old before using them. I think she's heard some rule about hardboiling older eggs and got it mixed up.

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In a rush at the weekend, I hardboiled some fresh eggs and peeled them right away (asbestos fingers) and then ran the peeled egg under the cold tap.

 

They peeled easily so I think the secret is to do it immediately, and the yols were a beautiful vivd golden colour, with no sign of that horrible grey rim.

 

:lol:

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My chickens arrived a couple of days ago, and i had been wondering about apples too. they don't seem to eat as much as i was expecting, but i guess they are just settling in.

 

yesterday they were out in the run in the sunshine all day, but today just came out for a little while to eat and drink and then snuggled up in the eglu again. is this just because they are settling in or due to the dull day? or should i be chasing them out into the run again?

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they are a bit wary to begin with Rachel. Give them a bit of time to get used to their surroundings and you will have to chase them back in the run!! :lol:

 

 

They dont seem to each much when they arent laying, once they start to lay they eat for England!

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Thanks for your reply! The forum is great isn't it! BTW do you know what breed the Ginger Nut Ranger is? We have acquired two and the brochure we got from omlet doesn't actually say. I know the Miss Pepperpot is a hybrid from the Rhode Island Red and my friend seemed to think that my two ladies are also from a Rhode Island Red?

 

Ali

 

Hi,

 

Yes this is a good forum - glad you are enjoying it and your new hens :D

 

Egluntine is right, the Gingernut Ranger is a RIR and Light Sussex cross. The Miss Pepperpot is a RIR crossed with a Maran and a Plymouth Rock.

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