[shetlandpaul]

I'm really going to start crying soon. it appears its now dangerous to sell fertile egg because they may start to develop while being stored. i hope no one is storing eggs at temps were this will happen. i am not killing off the cockerels because someone may be stupid with there food. what next can they ban. don't eat lettuce in case of caterpillars. no apples there maybe maggots. and going blackberry picking must be out.

[sandy]

 *****!!!!!//////What ever next, who makes up these silly rules, is mold not life? what about all the flies and spiders that get killed? What about people with head lice and other infestetions, they have babies too!!!!!!

[northfifeduckling]

where did that just come from, Paul??? Westminster, Edinburgh, Brussels??? Can't find anything on line.

[Fluffywelshsheep]

A late april fouls?

[shetlandpaul]

from the smallholders magazine q and a section. i thought it was a joke first but i somehow suspect its right.

[Cluckinggoodpoultry]

I had heard something along those lines, it is only selling them for eating though, basically what they think is if you are selling eggs for eating that have been fertilised by a cockerel then if stored incorrectly by the seller or buyer these can start to incubate. Obviously on cracking an egg open and you see this you wouldn't eat it!

Can't see the problem myself as I have had eggs for eating stored in many different conditions and have never had this problem, just more rules and regs to make things even harder, especially for the people that sell eggs not for profit but to go towards feeding their hens.

[garden cottage]

could be wrong but i understood it has always been the case that if you have a cockerel running with hens you cannot sell to the public......................neil

[Roxy]

Nothing surprises me any more - its just rules, regulations and red tape, making it more and more difficult for people like us to carry on.

My hens are free range, and its said that having a cockerel stops them roaming so much ....hmmm.   not sure on that one!!  Just how would people be storing the eggs to make them suddenly start to incubate???  In the oven maybe???  You would need to be keeping the eggs at a very high, constant temperature, and how or why would they be doing this?

If the public are successful at hatching any of my eggs then I say well done, because this year, I have only had one successful hatch.

What are we all supposed to do with our cockerels then - I have 5!!!

[northfifeduckling]

does that apply to duck eggs, too?

[Whistlin]

What precisely did the article say? There's a danger of getting worried about something because no one has looked at the basic legislation. Hence entirely incorrect Daily Mail 'esque rabble rousing about 'straight' bananas etc. If there's a chance the relevant Q&A could be reproduced here (with proper attribution) then it would make a bit more digging easier.

[Cluckinggoodpoultry]

Can't see anything at all on Defra's website relating to this and I would have thought that it would have been fairly obvious on there, don't happen to have a copy of the smallholder magazine and can't remember seeing it in practical poultry either, so would be good to have the source if possible and find out where the information came from.

[garden cottage]

THE EC EGG MARKETING STANDARDS REGULATIONS
APPENDIX A - EGG QUALITY STANDARDS (GRADE A)
Cuticle
 normal

clean

undamaged
 
Shell
 normal

clean

undamaged
 
Air-Space
 height <= 6mm

stationary
 
Albumen
 clear

limpid

of a gelatine-like consistency

free of extraneous matter of any kind
 
Yolk
 visible on candling as a shadow only, without a clearly discernible outline

not moving appreciably away from the egg on rotation

free of extraneous matter of any kind
 
Germ Cell
 imperceptible development   ie no eggs that can develop
 

[shetlandpaul]

so we can still ungraded eggs. my how terrible we chuck owners have been killing millions with our deadly eggs. when i find the magazine i will post it.

[xnbacon]

The article was in the new Poultry supplement of the July copy of Country Smallholder (p29).  Question was 'is it acceptable to run layer hens with a cockeral?  Answer was it is illegal although no references or much further detail given.  Reason stated was that it prevents embryos inadvertently forming although a friend I spoke to reckoned it was more to do with stopping people buying eggs from Tescos, hatching them and making their own eggs.  Not that she's cynical you understand!!

[rustyme]

lol... not heard of  anyone hatching ordinary chicken eggs bought from tesco's etc , but I have heard of people doing it with quail eggs from the same place... even thought about having a go myself ....


cheers 


Russ