[Bobby]

Hi All
My 4 chickens refuse to take cover in the rain - even when it is pouring down.  I read somewhere that they should not get wet - they are all fine, but should I be worrried and make them shelter
Thanks in advance
Bobby

[jameslindsay]

Bobby, mine are always like drowned rats when it rains and has never caused any problems.

[Bobby]

Good enough for me James - every bit of advice you have given has been right.  All 4 chooks arelaying every day now - and they are geat fun - so noisy, and all have little personalties of their own

[harry]

mine are covered with rain snow and frost ... if they want to stay outside as mine do all night you are wasting your time trying to get them to go in.

[Bobby]

My life has been taken over by them - they love ciabatta bread - so that's now on the shopping list - so far they have cost far more thanwe are getting egg wise - but they are such good fun........

[doganjo]

Yup, you got the bug all right.  You will worry over them as if they were your own kids!  Mine stay out in the rain but they usually congregate under a bush on the back fence of their run, so don't get too wet.  They do put themselves to bed when it's getting dark though, but if I go out to check the security light goes on and out they pop again.  So I just leave their pop holes open.  They are fenced in, with booby trap netting over some of the top, and with having the dogs, and being near the town there's less risk of foxes.

[Tullywood Farm]

Hello Bobby

Yes - All Hen die in Debt - It will always be cheaper for a single household to go out and buy eggs than it is to buy hens, fencing, housing, drinker, feeder, hen house, and all the extras that they get like water baths, sand, grit, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar - yes -yes -yes I know my hens are spoilt too

The thing is - the eggs are so much better than the ones in the shop - and fresh eggs are hard to beat!

The ones in the shops can be up to six months old when you buy them, have been washed or cleaned, stamped with yukky red ink and processed - not only that but most egg providers automatically give their hens antibiotics and other medicine in their water every week for the first 20 weeks of their life, so you are eating all that crubbush too!!!!

So let them die in debt - enjoy your expensive eggs - and most of all enjoy the fun of watching and waiting for chicks to hatch, hens to go broody, grow feathers, lay eggs, stop fighting and get a pecking order - oh the fun and games

Welcome to the chicken crazy gang

Julie

[Hilarysmum]

Yes egg wise you just stopped shopping at Sainsburys and moved on to Harrods. 

[doganjo]

six months old

6 weeks maybe?   Don't think a 6month old egg would encourage folk to stay in the shop

[Tullywood Farm]

Hello Annie,

People never believe me when I tell them that the eggs they are buying are at least 3 months old. I was maybe EGG-aggerating at six months - but you can keep them for seven - your own that is

This is a link that I have found saying 6 months.

Fresh Eggs Shelf Life, eggs shelf life is 6 months from the date of production ... Brown Shell Hen Egg Export, brown shell hen egg red onion and potato from ...
www.traderscity.com/board/.../user-guruexports-9624-2.html - Cached - Similar

So I am only quoting this.

The link below gives you the statement below it:-

        http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_will_fresh_chicken_eggs_keep_in_the_refrigerator


Length of Time Chicken Eggs are Good

Farmers have 30 days from the day an egg is laid to get it to stores. Then, the stores have another 30 days to sell the eggs. The FDA recommends a maximum of 5 weeks in your refrigerator before you discard your eggs. What does this all boil down to? On April 1st, you could be eating an egg for breakfast laid on Christmas. *Someone who talked with an egg farmer was told from the day it was laid, the egg has 30 days. I assume that means until the sale date, but that was not made clear. *Even if that is true, keep in mind that farmers generally get their eggs to stores within a week, and both the "pack date" and "sell by" date are stamped onto the carton. The numbers run from 1-365 depending on the day of the year. Lastly, there is a big difference in taste between farm fresh eggs and one week old eggs. If you want the freshest eggs, you can buy from a local farmer. *

Therefore 30 days plus 30 days, plus five weeks in your refrigerator and these eggs are THIRTEEN weeks old already.

OUR PLUS SIDE -HAVING EXPENSIVE HENS IS:
You can safely store home reared UNWASHED, fertile hen eggs for up to seven months at room temperature in boxes for your own use, and they will still taste fresh.    
Hens put a bloom on the egg shell when it is laid that protects the egg from water and air pollution so the worst thing you can do is wash it.
Once washed you shorten the life of the egg considerably.

There are special stones available to clean eggs, that are used in all farms that supply Tesco's, and other large egg producers providing eggs for supermarkets use them too.

Many Supermarket eggs smell after you have cooked them, ie the pan and plates smell - this is because your eggs were at least three months old when you purchased them
 
Scary but true   

Julie

[sabrina]

wow, you learn something new every day. I am so glad to have my own hens and their eggs are just great to eat. 

[Bobby]

Thanks so much.  There is so muc useful info on here. I had it in my head that even the fresh eggs have to be used within 3 weeks of being laid!!!
So how long will the stay fresh - we keep them in egg boxes in a dark cupboard.

[doganjo]

Thanks so much.  There is so muc useful info on here. I had it in my head that even the fresh eggs have to be used within 3 weeks of being laid!!!
So how long will the stay fresh - we keep them in egg boxes in a dark cupboard.

Yes, that was my understanding too.  I always tell people to use them within 3 weeks.

[catomell]

It would seem that the Egg Marketing Board tells us small producers something that the supermarkets totally ignore, if what I have just read is gospel.
I was informed by the EMB when I registered my flock for selling at the farm gate and local markets that the eggs had a shelf life of 21 days, so long as they are not cracked at all, and are stored at a temperature of less than 18 degrees C.
Therefore, all my eggs are collected daily, stored in day order, candled to check for any cracked ones - the dogs eat these, and are sold within the week.
Unfortunately, this doesn't help me on the rare occasions that we actually have weather suitable for a barbequeue, as I do like to make egg mayonnaise - however, peeling fresh hard boiled eggs is remarkably difficult - but I never have any eggs older than seven days!!

[Farmer]

Therefore, all my eggs are collected daily, stored in day order, candled to check for any cracked ones - the dogs eat these, and are sold within the week.

Seems a bit harsh Catomell...how many dogs do you get through in a year?

Farmer