Alis girls Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 When we got our 3 earlier this year every egg was a double yolker. The excitement this generated between 2 adults one of which was a country bumpkin settled in London was extraordinary. We were like kids. Our teenage son shook his head - he was however very taken with a fried double yolker egg. Hope you get some double yolkers too. Nice that the neighbour is friendly. Like the idea of trading eggs for fruit - go for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 Well we used the egg in a cake today - no double yolk, but we did notice that the egg white was very thick for some reason? I didn't know if that was because of some natural variation or something? Sadly no additional eggs today, but you never know, maybe tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 we did notice that the egg white was very thick for some reason? That's normal for a very fresh egg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 I meant to say congratulations on your first egg too It's amazing the difference between a shop egg and a home grown one isn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 29, 2016 Author Share Posted October 29, 2016 I meant to say congratulations on your first egg too It's amazing the difference between a shop egg and a home grown one isn't it I remember the first time I tried a home grown egg. I thought to myself "that's disgusting!", but then remembered that's what they are actually meant to taste like if you don't buy supermarket battery hen produced eggs! I had a similar thought the first time I ever tried an actual meat sausage as opposed to the offal that is usually in them! If I had room, I'd probably grow all my own fruit and veg too. It's all so much nicer than the shop bought stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Well we used the egg in a cake today - no double yolk, but we did notice that the egg white was very thick for some reason? I didn't know if that was because of some natural variation or something? Sadly no additional eggs today, but you never know, maybe tomorrow! that's because it's fresh the runnier the white the older the egg. you'll also find that you'll need to learn how to cook fresh eggs. I still can't fry fresh eggs 6 years in from first egg egg shell thickness varies from breed to breed and hen to hen as well as the time of year and were in each egg cycle the egg is that goes for the colour/ shade of brown eggs as well, blue eggs should stay the same shade but you'll see that bit for yourself when you get blue eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 If I had room, I'd probably grow all my own fruit and veg too. It's all so much nicer than the shop bought stuff! I grew quite a lot this year and found it really satisfying. Most things (not all) tasted better, but mostly I just liked that the food miles were about 10 yards. What's really starting to bother me though is eating commercially produced animal products. It's not killing an animal to eat it that I have a problem with. I've recently found a local farm which raises free range chickens which are hand slaughtered on the farm, and we get park from a friend who raises the pigs himself and has them slaughtered on his premises, and I have no problem with eating them at all. What bothers me is things like dairy cows being kept in calf but the calves being removed really young so milk is always produced...things like that. Even though I only eat eggs from mine or my mums chickens, I know the male chicks which hatched at the same time as my mms hybrids possibly went into the mincer... Anyway - upshot of all this is that although I never have, and really still don't want to be vegetarian or vegan - I'd be much happier if I had a smallholding and could be relatively self sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 29, 2016 Share Posted October 29, 2016 Oh mullethunter I fear there's never going to be a world for you unless you go vegan. It's a very harsh world we live in and I fear none of us are doing it "right". Just do what you can and be happy with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Vegans tend to eat more nuts and soy based products. Things that tend to come from far overseas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Just do what you can and be happy with it Thanks Chickabee, that's what I'm trying to do but sometimes fail Sorry for thread hijack AndyRoo - I'll stop now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 It makes no odds to me! I couldn't be vegan, though; I'm pretty sure I'd starve to death. I struggled enough being vegetarian because I am allergic to mushrooms and for some reason every single meat substitute (and in fact most veggie meals) seemed to contain them! But it only lasted 3 months and then I reverted back. Little piggies tasted too nice in the form of bacon. Sorry piggies!! Anyway, reverting back to the original topic: we got another egg from the white star today, but still nothing from the bluebelle. I'm beginning to feel cheated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have never owned a White star, but she does look older than point of lay to me. Anyway... I got my chickens in May and got my first egg in August... Oh and Merel is back to being broody after having laid eggs for a whopping 3 weeks now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have never owned a White star, but she does look older than point of lay to me. The white star is laying now, although she does seem to have a somewhat irregular laying patten. This morning we had an egg waiting for us at about 9:30, but the other day she didn't lay until about midday. It's the bluebelle who is refusing to cough up (as it were). I'm probably expecting too much too soon. We have been impressed by how quiet the white star has been when laying, though. If she is singing a little "here's one I made earlier" song, she's doing it very subtly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 Lucky you! Ginger announced thin air just now! And was very happy with herself too... Non of my birds lay every day. It takes more than 24 hours to make an egg. So times will vary. Ginger does an egg whenever she feels like if. Never has been regular. My other hens did one every two days. It will vary according to breed and specific hen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted October 30, 2016 Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have never owned a White star, but she does look older than point of lay to me. The white star is laying now, although she does seem to have a somewhat irregular laying patten. This morning we had an egg waiting for us at about 9:30, but the other day she didn't lay until about midday. It's the bluebelle who is refusing to cough up (as it were). I'm probably expecting too much too soon. We have been impressed by how quiet the white star has been when laying, though. If she is singing a little "here's one I made earlier" song, she's doing it very subtly. they will lay at slightly different times each day as it takes about 26hrs to make an egg just over half of which is day light, but youngsters are all over the place for a few weeks the bluebelle might not even be in lay yet but the next few days should confirm if she is laying I doubt she'll go more than 10 days after a move to lay an egg and if she had laid a couple of days before or the day you got her she might have laid with in a day or so and then took a short break one sure sign she's ready to lay is if she crouches for you if you come up behind her ( wings up knees slightly bent) but she might set see you as a suitable 'daddy' for her off spring yet! is the only way I can put it in print Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 30, 2016 Author Share Posted October 30, 2016 one sure sign she's ready to lay is if she crouches for you if you come up behind her ( wings up knees slightly bent) but she might set see you as a suitable 'daddy' for her off spring yet! is the only way I can put it in print Well if that's the case, she is wasting her time - only Big Bird from Sesame Street does it for me. lol She's eating like a horse, far more than any of the others. It's actually to the point where I am thinking of buying a second 'grub' so the others get a look in. The rest of them are happy scratching around for bits in the woodchip, although I suppose they must be eating enough or presumably the one girl wouldn't be laying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) One little grub between 5 hybrids is nowhere near enough Andy. You will find the lowest in the pecking order won't get enough feed to stay warm and produce eggs and so won't lay. They may get ill in Winter as well because they won't get enough just to stay warm. Perhaps you should have 3 grubs? We use the large floor feeders and never have more than 3 hens for each. So 4 hens have two feeders and (just as importantly) have two drinkers nearby as well. Edited October 31, 2016 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I wouldn't go for another grub either. I don't actually like them. I find gravity feeders are much better. You can hang them from an S hook at about shoulder height for the birds. This prevents them scratching all the food out and prevents waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 At the moment they have the grub and I'm leaving a second plastic bowl of food for them in another part of the run. I think I might get one of those gravity feeders too. I'm heading to the pet store this morning anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 What I like about the gravity feeders is that you can get quite a few birds around them at any one time and they can come in from all angles if they feel intimidated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted October 31, 2016 Author Share Posted October 31, 2016 They now have a gravity feeder, which one of them has attempted to use as a swing! Silly cow... I watched them for a bit and they do seem to prefer that more than the grub, so I may well end up getting another one and doing away with the grub altogether. Although that will probably happen next year when the garden is re-done and we can extend the run another meter. We also got home to learn we have been rewarded with yet another egg from our white star, so that was nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 Gravity feeders are the best Andy; I usually recommend 1 per 4 birds. Suspend them from the roof, level with the birds' backs and get a couple of those 'coolie shade hats' to stop any poo from perching birds, or wet getting in. The grubs are pretty useless TBH... I have some Glugs, which make better feeders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I have a galvanised gravity feeder that hangs in the run. It's brilliant and although much more expensive than plastic I think it'll last forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyRoo Posted November 2, 2016 Author Share Posted November 2, 2016 Well, I have formally switched my allegiance to 2 gravity feeders. Although the grub was being used, it was mostly just by the bluebelle. Incidentally the bluebelle (Pepper) has still not gotten the memo about laying eggs yet - I'm beginning to wonder if she ever will. Our little white star is living up to her name, though; we've only had 2 days without an egg since she started! YAY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I wonder if she'd started to lay before you got her. 2 days with out an egg 's not bad for a youngster that's only just started to lay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
