The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: charente on October 26, 2009, 02:27:23 pm

Title: what no eggs?
Post by: charente on October 26, 2009, 02:27:23 pm
why have our 2 year old sussex hens suddenly stop laying eggs, all seven of them. We have a sussex cock that has always been with them and this year one of the hens hatched a cockeral, that also lives with them. As he matures do you think he is upsetting the balance.?
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: jameslindsay on October 26, 2009, 02:29:21 pm
They will be slowing down due to the time of the year plus as they get older that also slows them down. I have 11 girls, 2 of which are 2 as well and only get between 4 and 7 eggs a day just now.
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: sandy on October 26, 2009, 03:40:27 pm
I thought ou r egg production was slowing down but I just found 2 and a half dozen eggs hidden in some straw!!!!!! THat leads me to another wuestion I think has been in another thread...how can I tell how fresh they are? do you put them in water and do they float or sink if they are good/bad and 2 how often can I give my dogs raw eggs, I asume every day is too much and I think they may get the runs or/and wind
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: cluckyclaire on October 26, 2009, 03:47:07 pm
Don't know about the dogs but good eggs sink, bad eggs float (air sack in the egg gets bigger as the egg turns bad)
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: sandy on October 26, 2009, 03:53:36 pm
 ;)Looks like I will be egg bobbing then!!!  Thanks for that..
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: harry on October 26, 2009, 04:46:42 pm
break them into a glass to see, then fry/ poach them
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: marigold on October 26, 2009, 10:28:29 pm
We just found 17 eggs under a tarp
the test is to see if they float. That is in their shell not out of it. If they lie on their side on the bottem they are fresh if they sit on end they're getting on a bit and if they float they're no good at all.
But somewhere else on this site I read that duck eggs in the supermarket are sometimes up to 5 months old!!!! how old are hen eggs when they are sold?  :o
Title: Re: what no eggs?
Post by: doganjo on October 27, 2009, 12:10:07 am
Well I found two this afternoon and they sank so I had scrambled eggs and toast when I came home from getting warmed up at Sandy and Steve's, as I'd only had a couple of cold pork pies with the dogs because of the power going off..