Super Sized Eggs – Double or Triple Yolks
This week, I’d like to discuss a very unusual occurrence shared by reader, Sandy Elgert… “Dear Duncan and Wendy, I went to gather the last Thursday, and this giant egg was there. My chickens are Rhode Island Reds and Australorp. The egg had 3 yolks in it. It was super-sized, for sure! Is this normal…
Increasing Egg Laying Productivity Using Artificial Lights
“If we add a light to our coop during the winter months to try to increase egg productivity will it reduce the egg laying life span of the chickens? Also will it increase egg production enough to cover the electricity costs?” ~ Mechelle Meixner Hi Mechelle, thank you for the question. For those of you…
Stopping Chickens That Eat Their Own Eggs
“I have young pullets starting to lay, but they have discovered that they can eat the eggs. Is there a way to retrain them?” ~ Barbara Jagoe Hi Barbara thanks for the question. The short answer to your question is “Maybe”. You can try to retrain them but some chickens are more difficult to retrain…
Hatching Chicken Eggs Using Incubators
This week in our “Basics” series, we’ll talk about chicken egg incubators and what type would work best for you. There are incubators available for sale that will handle whatever needs or future plans you may have. They can handle anywhere from a few eggs up to 75,000. There are kerosene or oil models available…
Selecting & Storing Chicken Eggs For Hatching
In this issue, we’ll talk about selecting eggs to hatch, their care, handling and storage. If you will be purchasing fertile eggs, be sure to use a reputable supplier. You can mail order fertile eggs but it will likely be cheaper if you can find a local source. If you will be breeding your hens…
Chicken Keeping Basics – The Anatomy of a Chicken Egg
In the coming weeks, we’ll be talking about hatching your eggs. Before we get to that, it’s important to understand the anatomy of an egg. It’s a little technical this week but hang in there. You’ll be candling your eggs at particular intervals throughout the incubation period and knowing what you’re looking at and looking…
Soft Shelled Chicken Eggs
“One of my chickens (we have 3) has just laid her first egg the shell is very soft what can I do to improve the egg shell.” ~ Monica Kolb Monica, thanks for the question. When your hens first start to lay, often times you will find very soft shells or maybe no shell at…
Keeping Chicken Eggs Fresh
“What is the best way of keeping the chicken eggs? Should they be kept in the fridge or not?” ~ Nikki Ward Nikki, this is a great question, there’s a lot of confusing information out there. As part of the formation of the chicken egg, it is covered in a thin membrane called the “bloom”.…
