Egg colour.

[benjamin1945 16,194]

No me"nt any colour,thanks for that bubblewrap,i will look in morrisons today,there were blue ones as well,if i remember right they had a stronger taste than hen eggs.and much bigger.

[benjamin1945 16,194]

Is just the colour you mean benjamin1945 ?

Morrisons sell duck eggs in packs of six & y6ou can buy them "loose" on Loughborough market.

Odd term that "loose" as well as eggs when at "Marsdens" we also sold "loose" lard,butter,peas and taters.

[FLY2 10,109]

In my limited time keeping hens and ducks, which was about 10 yrs, I've kept Black Rocks which were good layers of brown eggs, and Common Hybrids, which were originally a cross between Light Sussex and Rhodies.. These are prolific layers approx 300 per year.

A hybrid will lay an egg for 6 or 7 days then have a day off. The first egg of a new cycle will be quite brown then lighter as the cycle progresses until the last is a feint beige. I once had an egg with a triple yolk which is very rare. Also, I had a hen lay very early one summers morning, then another before dusk. She then had a day off the next day. Great fun and a relaxing past time.

[banjo48 928]

When I was at home with mum and dad we always had chickens, usually Rhode island reds, but sometimes dad would raise some bantams too.

We often got the double yolkers then. We also kept rabbits for food too, suppose it was due to the food shortages after the war, hard to forget for the older generation at the time.

Funnily enough was walking around a country market a few weeks ago and they were selling trays of guaranteed doubles !

Don't know how they knew but the chap said they were all doubles due to there size.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Double yolk eggs usually come from young layers until their system gets used to laying eggs, some of the first eggs young birds lay are as small as budgie eggs..

Most birds lay in a 30 hour cycle, can be more, can be less, and the shorter the day the less eggs I get, until winter gets here and I get a couple to no eggs at all from mature birds.

Most farmers around here get new stock every year, that way the get eggs over the next winter. Mature is second year birds.

[benjamin1945 16,194]

ayupme DUCKS eggs are they popular over there? i would imagine they are.!

As for "young layers" and mature birds" no contest really is there ,give me a mature bird anytime

[Bubblewrap 3,815]

Odd term that "loose" as well as eggs when at "Marsdens" we also sold "loose" lard,butter,peas and taters.

There's a house on the other side of "town" that sells loose women.

[benjamin1945 16,194]

I was going to add that,but trying to use more "decorum" in my postings

[benjamin1945 16,194]

ITS a funny thing this "nottstalgia forum" who would have thought the colour of bloody eggs"would have got such a great response,while mine on "old trophies" was a dead duck.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

No idea about the popularity of duck eggs, can't say when I've been out shopping with the missus that I've seen them sold anywhere.

I only tasted duck eggs once, when I lived in Australia, they weren't to my taste, so never had them again.

One thing that amazes me about chickens though, they are a tropical bird, originally from South East Asia, they tolerate some pretty low temps without coming to any harm..Mine seem to get through temps almost down to zero F here..All I have to do is make sure I change the water regularly for warmer water and they seem happy enough. Summer takes it out on them, I have to make sure they don't get distressed, I did lost one rooster one year who was clearly distressed with the heat and humidity, I also found a hen who was having a hard time, took her down to the hose pipe and watered her down to relieve her stress..She recovered.

[benjamin1945 16,194]

quote from above. summer takes it out on them,i have to make sure they dont get distressed,i lost a rooster one year that was clearly distressed with the heat and humidity,i also found a hen who was having a hard time,took her down to the hosepipe and watered her down torelieve her stress...she recovered......

often do the same with the wife ayupmeducks

[mick2me 3,033]

John are you sure this is not the reason behind the heat problems of your Bantam Cock?

[benjamin1945 16,194]

HA,HA,HA,love it,and Jake Thackery......

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

He weren't no bantam Mick, he'd have given you a run for your money, damned things can be aggressive.....LOL

[colly0410 1,181]

Bloke at work told me when he were a kid they had some hens, but didn't know you had to clip their wings, they flew off never to be seen again.

[plantfit 7,638]

I often see signs around here for "Free Range Eggs" never had the courage to ask for a dozen Range eggs to see what the farmer say's

Rog

[FLY2 10,109]

The idea is to clip one wing so they can't take off correctly, but only the outer feathers. Not any nearer to the joint as the hens can suffer pain.

You are right ayeupmeducks, some breeds do originate from Asia, but many of the heavier breeds come from the forests of Northern USA.

I used to make scrambled eggs from my ducks eggs. The taste is a little stronger than normal, but they make the most beautiful deep yellow scrambled eggs.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

All chicken breeds can be traced back to the jungle fowl of south east Asia, fair enough many breeds have been bred in NA, like the Rhode Island and Plymouth Rocks.

[FLY2 10,109]

I enjoyed keeping poultry, it was very soothing and relaxing. Except when the fox had got in, or the hans had got out and eaten my young cabbages..

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Yep, chickens and veggie gardens don't go together, they love tomatoes and virtually everything in the garden..They also eat about every known bug, except cockroaches!!

They will chase small frogs and lizards and devour them. They are better mousers than cats, in fact I've watched them fight over a mouse and pull a live mouse in half!!

They also like dog poop...No idea why.

[darkazana 1,736]

My daughter has been getting pale blue chicken eggs recently. She has a friend who works at a nearby free range chicken farm, and provides Jo with free eggs. Can't remember which breed the eggs come from, but apparently they are available in Tesco. I have to say they are very tasty.

[mick2me 3,033]

Cat poo would be a luxury then

Slugs even more so...

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

I was reading about a breed that produces blue/green shelled eggs...Never ever noticed any difference in taste between shell colours.

BUT, free ranged chickens who get most of their food from weeds, grass, bugs, frogs, lizards, mice and the odd small snake have far more taste than grain fed birds.

And Mick, not sure if anything would eat cat poop.....LOL Stinks too bad......

[darkazana 1,736]

Mmmmmmmmm tasty. You can tell what chickens have been fed on by the eggs, as it influences the taste, which is why sometimes they used to taste fishy! So make sure you know what they have been eating before you collect the eggs!!!

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

Funny, when mine were let out, I can't now, too many coyotes around here that enjoy chicken for dinner, the first thing they went for was the dogs poop, it didn't harm the eggs flavour, I do take a few handfuls of the growing weeds from around the chicken house for them, which they demolish in minutes.