Q : When I went to pull together eggs the other day , I notice one of my poulet hide in the corner of the henhouse . As she got up , I sawa vast pile of eggs—24 in all — in the straw . I have no idea how I did n’t see this before , as I amass eggs daily . So my question is : Do you reckon these ballock are safe to eat ? I have no estimate how long they have been there .
A : There ’s an easy way of life to tell how onetime an egg is . All you have to do is gently drop it into a glassful of water . Eggs that sit down on the bottom are very fresh — they’re perfectly secure to eat . As an egg ages , breeze seep into it through the stomate in the eggshell , causing the egg to become floaty . egg that are slimly older will start to uprise up off the bottom of the methamphetamine hydrochloride at one end — the ending where the air sac is — until , eventually , a very one-time egg will float .
A floating ballock is n’t necessarily an indication that the eggs are not good to eat , but I would discard out any floaters just in case . As for the other nut , it ’s probable they ’re hunky-dory , but I would drift on the side of caution there , too , and snap the eggs into a separate bowl , one by one , instead of dropping them directly into the frying pan or cake batter just in instance . A decayed egg will look and smell spoiled .
Marco? Polo!
Q : I have been sitting in my chicken coop for hour to bump out who is laying . I have noticed that when the chicken fend up to lay , another chicken that has been watching or waiting her turn will start sing . I ’ve also noticed that after a hen lays an ballock , she also start singing . Do you have any melodic theme why they do this ?
A : First of all , I can completely bear on to sit in the coop find out the chickens ’ behaviors ! I admit to being shamefaced of that as well and applaud you for your astute reflexion in this instance . I call that squawking and carrying on that hen do after they lie in their testicle the “ egg song . ”
But why do chickens feel the need to make such a fuss after they have laid an testis ? Would n’t it make more sense for them to keep it quiet so predators — and humans who have a habit of stealing freshly laid egg for their breakfast!—won’t know anything is going on down there in the coop ? Interestingly enough , what you observed seems to be the accepted logical thinking for this behavior . The hen move aside from the nest and makes a illegitimate enterprise , thereby protecting her ball by moving aside from it and distracting predators by instead focusing their attending on her .
Another estimation is that the hen , having gone off to lay her egg in private somewhere and assuming in that 30 minutes or so that the rest of the chickens have wandered away , is calling to the rest of the flock to rejoin them . It ’s sort of like the chicken adaptation of Marco Polo .
Diet Dilemmas
Q : I only have a few chickens , but I see magnanimous feeders in the feed stores and wonder if it ’s OK to fill such a large feeder . Will my chickens overeat ?
A : No , your chickens wo n’t overeat their provender . Theyself - regulate , intend that they will break eating as soon as they have vex all the energy and nutrients they need . So you’re able to fill the declamatory - sized affluent and go out provender out for them on a continual ground . That ’s helpful if you will be off for a few Day or even a week or longer to be able-bodied to fill a feeder and waterer and not interest that your caretaker might forget .
As long as rodent and moisture do n’t get into it , feed will last until your flock eats it . A poulet will corrode about 1⁄2 cupful of feed a daylight , so if you wanted to go on to measure out daily feed for them , that is a good principle of thumb , but it will postulate to be adjusted based on the clip of year and the amount of free - range your sight does ( i.e. , what else there is for your volaille to eat ) .
One caveat : While chickens wo n’t overeat their provender , they can get overweight — which can lead to reduced egg laying and other health problems — if you give them too many dainty . Limit treats to only about 1 tablespoonful per Gallus gallus per day , and seek to baffle with healthy options such as whole grain , vegetables , etc . Offering treats only in the good afternoon once chickens have filled up on their even provender is another way of life to be sure that their kickshaw consumption is limited . Y
Email fowl - concern questions to Lisa Steele at chickens@chickensmagazine.com , subject : “ Flock Talk . ”
This story in the beginning appeared in the September / October 2018 take ofChickensmagazine .
