Well, having been invited here........ha, ha.........to help with these questions. I guess y'all think I'm a pro.... but I have been washing eggs for a zillion years it seems.
Okay, first of all, the eggs you have right now Chele are probably very very small. They are what is called pullet eggs. Most likely they will not have any yolk or very small yolks...still exciting when you get your first ones. They do this the first few times they lay eggs. Your hens are still too young to get the nesting instinct, so they won't be going broody on you for a while. Yes, they lay one egg a day....and not every day. Some will, some won't. They lay in the morning and afternoon. I've never had them lay at night. We keep lights on them all night so that the varmints won't get them.
Somewhere I wrote a whole "lesson" on the fine art of peeling eggs. If you do a search for peeling eggs, I'm hoping my lengthy discussion will come up....I was not the thread starter.
And when we first got our first eggs, years ago, I had one, then two,....just like you. I started writing dates on the eggs in pencil and it helped. Then I needed to put in egg cartons because I was getting so many.
In KY, you don't have to have a license until you sell more than 60 dozen a week....away from your farm. It is different in every state. If you have an egg license, eventually you will get inspected by weights and regulations. We've been 3 times. He goes to other farms and we will not let him walk in our barns because he carries diseases from one place to the next. He appreciated our consciousness about that. I sell a lot of eggs each week (not the 60 dozen anymore, so I don't need a license).
My eggs sell for $3.00 for large and $3.50 for Jumbo. No one blinks an eye and I can't keep up with demand.
In KY, license or not, you are required to have a processing date and a sell by date as well as your name, address, phone number.
I hope this helps. I've been busy all day (just got done washing eggs)....and I'm going to eat a little dinner. ASk me any questions, you'd like.....
Blessings,
Kathy
I have an egg!!! Our FIRST egg!
Kathy, please tell us how you wash your eggs. I use to wash mine with diluted Fit the fruit and veggie wash. I didn't let them soak in it or anything, did it quick with a veggie brush.
Thanks,
Lana
Hi Lana,
I let my eggs in the egg basket soak in the kitchen sink with hot water. (it does not cook the eggs.) Let it soak, no soap, for about 15 minutes. Then started washing with antibacterial dish soap and dishcloth. I rinse under warm water and let dry on a towel on the counter. I have a fan on them constantly, keeping them cool and drying them off. Then I candle everyone and grade according to size, although my eggs are in ungraded cartons. I have to put my really big ones in Jumbo cartons.
In KY, state law requires that you use new egg cartons. I will reuse a carton for someone that will be getting more eggs. For example, if you bought eggs from me and wanted more, you would bring me your carton, I would write your name on it, and the next time I was at market, I would have your eggs in your carton. Most people think it's a silly rule, but I understand it and appreciate it. Egg cartons really cannot be washed and I don't want to give someone else a carton full of bacteria from your fridge. All fridge's have bacteria....
I have found Palmolive gold, the antibacterial soap to be the best. You can use antibacterial hand soap to wash them as well, but it is harder to rinse off and has perfumey smells to it.
Don't use that Fit. it is too expensive for eggs. I think it's not worth it to use on veggies either, when water works just as well. But that's my opinion.
Also, I have never had to use anything other than the dishcloth (which I bleach in my regular laundry when I'm done). If you let them soak, there will be some scrubbing, but nothing you can't get off with the cloth.
I have a rule, if it is cracked, even the slightest crack, it gets tossed out to the pigs. I don't take any chances with cracked eggs. My MIL used to go to a chicken farm and buy all their cracked eggs because they were cheaper. (I'll keep my MIL comments to myself, ha, ha.)
Hope you have found this to be useful....
:) Kathy
I would like to know where you get the egg boxes! My Hens will be laying soon and I am going to need the cartons ( I hope)!
the last auction I went to had them but they were outrageously priced!
I buy mine from a place in Covington, Ohio. Falcon Packaging.
You can email Brenda Beeman and tell her I told you to contact her. Believe me when I tell you I shopped around and THEY ARE the cheapest.
BBeeman@falpac.com
The shipping is what gets you...........on anything! I pay about 15 cents each for a carton.
They do have a website, but you'll have to Google it.
Being the dork that I am, I took pics of the eggs! We had 13 fresh eggs and 12 extra large from the grocery. Two of our fresh eggs were double yolks!
Here are the eggs side by side. The Kroger x large eggs are on the left and the fresh eggs are on the right.
We are steadily getting 2 eggs per day. Most of them have been smaller eggs but we did get one large egg!
I used the same size container for both kinds of eggs so I could compare the volume. ;) There was not a huge difference in the amount. The fresh eggs did seem to have darker yellow yolks.
This concludes my scientific breakfast. LOL
Kathy, Your advice and opinions are always welcome!
Now y'all have me craving deviled eggs!
We went to our first county fair yesterday. Oh! What fun!!
We saw so many beautiful birds! I am so enamored with the Polish breeds! One person had a gorgeous gold Polish. I'll have to look it up to find it's name.
There were a ton of them that were all white with the red wattles and combs.
We also saw a bunch of gorgeous rabbits! One of the kids friends did not know her rabbit was pregnant and it had three babies at the fair.
You can see the fresh eggs have smaller yolks. They will get larger as the hens mature which will add flavor to the eggs. Then you'll know what real fresh eggs taste like! I can't believe that bunny didn't eat her babies with the stress of being at the fair. She must be a real good momma.
Kathy, thanks for the washing tips. I guess the eggs are fine soaking in water for 15 min? It sure would make cleaning easier. I've found the veggie wash takes off more dirt and the wax coating. I like it. If I don't have to use that on eggs I won't but was afraid to use any kind of soap. I'll have to try your way when I start getting eggs.
I moved the hens to the main pen last night after dark. This is a large pen with a coop and 8 laying nests with outside access. Brian is wanting to make a chicken tractor like Chele's :~)
Lana
Lana,
I've left the eggs in the sink in water and gone to do other things and forgot about them. They are still good as long as no soap is in the water. A few hours later, I go back and well, wash them. I have never had any complaints on the eggs and cannot keep up with demand. The eggs are so much better when they are fresh....
Glad to see that you have yolks....like Lana said, the more they lay eggs, the yellower the yolks and the tastier and bigger they get.
:) Kathy
Thanks, Kathy, I'm definately going to try your way. I always hated scubbing eggs! Now that I have a higher sink though it may not hurt as bad as leaning over the old one.
Lana
Thanks Misty I will go to the site and have a look around!
This thread has been so much fun to read. Badseed, I know the fun your having with the chickens and the first eggs. When my children were little it was always a treat to go out and find the eggs. Last year when I had my chickens, my grandchildren LOVED finding eggs.
I have been wanting to get chickens again, and this just may be the push I needed!
Thanks for the smiles :)
Candy
Thanks for reading and participating Candy! I enjoy reading this forum and we are having so much fun with all of our new critters!
I wish you were closer as I have some extra birds and would love to find a good safe home for them. Wanna make a road trip?? LOL
Oh how I would love to take a road trip :) Thank you for the offer. I have been looking around here for some. I figure this is a good time of year, people are actually looking to cut their flocks down some for the winter.
Enjoy!
Yeah, and mine are 19 weeks old now and laying so I can finally call some of them laying hens even though we are not positive who is laying, other than the black and white one my 10 year old caught in the act. LOL
Y'all were right! They do raise quite a ruckus when laying. They were being very loud and I was collecting seeds so I sent daughter number 3 to check on them.
I hope you get some birdies soon Candy. :)
Congratulations on the eggs!
Sounds like you are on the way to becoming real "Farmers".
Are your girls going to be taking chickens & rabbits to the fair another year ?
A lady that helps us out, her daughter won a trip to the state fair with her rabbit. She got a purple ribbon there, which is quite an accomplishment.
Soon you can get those eggs on the market & have money flowing! Boy, $3 & $3.50 a dozen. $1.50 seems to be going price at our market, but there are not many for sale. MN law is to candle the eggs & have your name & address on the carton. You can reuse cartons, but must black-out those brand names. You also date them, but I am not sure whether it is produced date or expire date. No license needed as long as you produce them on your farm. Check with your state Agriculture Department.
Have a great day!
Bernie
Hey Bernie! Always nice to see you!
Yes, we do plan to sell eggs once the hens are up and laying on a regular basis. We still have 44 right now and I don't think even a family of 8 can eat that many eggs. LOL I guess I better see about getting an extra refrigerator as there is never room in ours.
The kids do plan to join 4H and show rabbits and chickens next year. We missed the cut off for joining a club this year. Going to the fair was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to it.
Michele,
It's so nice to see you enjoying your country life now. Before you know it, the kids will be winning 4H ribbons and you'll be winning Blue ribbons on your Daylilies.
I'd love to have chickens too, especially for their chicken poo, but alas, my small yard is all full with plants, pond and a GH. lol
Donna
Chele, Hang an "Fresh Eggs for Sale" sign outside your house....you'll sell your eggs. :) Kathy
Donna!! So nice to see you here! Move a little closer and I'll share. LOL I hope you are enjoying your new greenhouse.
I finally got around to starting a compost pile too! I took out a 15 gallon pot of chicken poo, three trash bags full of cut grass, chopped up sticks, etc from the other house and will be cleaning up the bunny poo tomorrow maybe so I can add that.
Kathy, that really is the plan but I have a question. If my neighbors 1/2 a mile down the road are selling eggs too, am I going to tick them off? Heck, I think they've been here a long time and I may not even get any business. LOL
You might talk to them. They may sell all the eggs they have and then they could actually send people to you ;) Working together is always the best thing. Is your road a dead end? Because a sign at both ends of the road could benefit both of you...:)
A little bit of analogy. We have a few people at the farmers market that sell eggs, we have maybe one vendor between us.........but we all sell out of our eggs. When one sells out we let them know about the other....it is called cooperation.
Don't try to outsell each other, i.e. make your price so much lower that they don't sell theirs, etc, but expect the same respect from them. And remember not to cut yourself. Take your costs AND your time and charge a reasonable price. $1.00 dozen is NOT reasonable when you have had to feed the chickens, keep their nest boxes clean, clean out the barn, collect the eggs, wash all the eggs, the water you have to use, buy cartons, take the time to candle everyone, and then pay for labels (required in KY) that you print yourself. As a matter of fact, we barely break even at the price I'm charging now and my cartons are going up. Please folks, take everything into considersation and don't shortchange yourself. You will still sell your eggs and you won't be ripping people off. YOU HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT IN FRESH EGGS AND NOT EVERYONE CAN HAVE CHICKENS IN THEIR BACKYARDS. It took me a long time to come to this realization as well ;)
This message was edited Sep 6, 2007 10:49 AM
That logic works for any farm produce. We constantly out sell other vendors & we are on high end on most things. My son says he thinks people wonder whats wrong with something if it priced to low. Freshness & quality are # 1 & presentation makes it sell. We don't hem & haw around when someone asks us about our veggies. We give them the straight truth about when it was picked or sprayed or whatever.
About to leave for another day at market.
Bernie
Bernie, getting ready to leave myself for the market. And all true...Bernie, all true.
Hope you have a successful market. Tell me again what town your market is located in? One of our market managers just got back from MN (St. Paul farmers' market). He stopped in Wisconsin and brought me home some fresh cheese curds.....yum. From Carr Valley cheese....
I'll say again...........yum!
It is sprinkling here, yippee!
Ours is in Mankato. It has a sister city across the river, North Mankato. About 40,000 people in both towns. Lots of people drive in from about 50 miles out for work & shopping.
That's just beautiful, Bernie! The presentation and most importantly the veggies!
Lana
Bernie, You always have such a nice display. I want to come and buy from you :) Hope you had a wonderful market. Your Big Daddy onions look so good. Our onions are done around here, :(
What kind of a vehicle do you have? We are thinking of another vehicle. DH keeps banging his head in the back of the big truck, I can't climb onto the back, and have a heck of a time getting up in front. We've gone all summer with it being so hot and no a/c in that truck. SOmetimes it was as hot as 125/130 in the truck riding down the road....it was sickening.
:)Kathy
Lookie what I got! LOL, first one today just 4 days after moving them to the main pen where the nesting boxes are.
Lana
1997 Dodge 3500, 1 ton van. Until a bout 2 weeks ago had good a/c. Now has a couple leaks that would cost $1200 to fix.
We also pull a 4 x 8 trailer with all our equipment in it, tables, tarps, etc. Use a pickup on Saturday also.
YAY LANA!! Carly saw one of the black and white birds lay an egg the other day but I'm not sure if it's the BR or the other black and white ones and not sure which bird. We've started getting some really big eggs here. For some reason I think one of the kids said they saw one of the blacks or reds lay one too.
Glad my chickies are happy at your place. :) Even more glad Brian is going to get his fresh eggs. LOL
I'm glad to have chickens again. I missed them. Now if I can just get some goats and a horse I'll be happy as a pig in mud!
Lana
Well I have to tell you, this thread has got me looking again. I think I have found some along with a rooster. I will keep you updated. I sure am looking forward to fresh eggs again!
Thanks for the push :)
Candy
Hey Badseed...before I showed you the smallest egg I have ever gotten...today I got the BIGGEST! My biggest RIR hasnt laid an egg in three days...guess this is why. We cant even close the egg carton~
I will tell you something I didn't know. I knew that a chicken lays one egg a day, but did you know they store their eggs up? We take chickens often to be processed, but one group in particular, last winter....couldn't catch them all. They ended up staying behind. It was another few months before we got to the processor, so by now these chickens are big (stewing chicken size) and several months old. I went with DH to the processor and one of the guys came out, jokingly, and asked if he could have the eggs. Said there were a few dozen eggs. Of course, I looked bewildered and he said that they had 7 or 8 eggs just waiting to be laid....
Has anyone else ever heard of that?
Of course, they were ready and he couldn't eat them....but thought that was interesting.
:)Kathy
Had they been laying eggs until that point? I would guess that when you took them in they were already a few months old, and producing eggs on their one. If that is the case then it would make sence that there were there since a chicken will pretty much have an egg in that at some stage of develepment nearly 24 hours a day.
They dont 'store' them...I was only joking about the egg that is so big...but maybe its more like when babies are late? I dont know enough about this, but we are going to try to eat this one fried. I am half expecting this to be an egg in an egg...which I know is possible.
Bet that henny cackled over that one! Ouch!
mc, we have many eggs that big. Quite often, they are double yolks and I've seen several triple yolks. I have to order jumbo cartons for many of my eggs and even then some of them don't fit! I have a newspaper article (about 45 years old) that my sister-in-law gave me. It seems that her aunt had a very, very large egg (the chicken that laid it actually died laying it...but it was xrayed and there was an egg within an egg, so it does happen.
Everytime I see our HUGE eggs, I have empathy for the hen that laid it...:(
The shells are usually much thinner and quite often they break when I'm trying to wash them.
:)Kathy
The eggs in the picture are in an extra large carton...but we couldnt even begin to try to close it...so its in a bowl now. It had a very hard thick shell, and I was able to wash and handle it with no problem. I will cook it tomorrow morning for my Heman, and I will make sure to take a picture of what the insides are. :) I am assuming more then one yolk. The hen that laid it hasnt come out of the coop yet! She is just in their taking several naps. I am sure its something like giving birth to 20lb triplets!
Oh yes, many of mine have very thick shells, just often they are thin. The ones we get won't fit into our jumbo cartons and a dozen jumbos weighs 30 ounces.....
Enjoy your egg. You can make a whole egg salad with it, ha, ha..........
Wonderful eggs and stories!
I wish our local Farmers Market looked half as good as yours Bernie!