Welcome to Thunderdome

Here's my big boggle: I don't know what to do with this in an Ohio winter.

From what I can gather, they will prolly be in that little coop 24/7 for a couple straight months, assuming we have a regular, cold winter. I am supposed to provide 18 hours/day of artificial lighting if I want them to keep laying, and I am supposed to provide good air flow so moisture doesn't build, and I am supposed to keep it warm enough that their water doesn't freeze, but a heat supply isn't really necessary because chickens can tolerate cold weather, except when they can't. I don't know any local chicken owners to axe, and when I do find some I'll probably hear they have like an entire insulated outbuilding their keep their birds in, not a little 9-chicken coop like mine. So yeah, this winter is still a mystery as to what I'll be doing.

I think it's still a single cell when it comes out and goes in your fridge, isn't it?

Maybe but it gets all that armor and nutrients all within 24 hours.

The book broke down the anatomy of an egg, but I don't remember it saying all what that connective tissue and stuff was made of.

Yeah, I have commercial feed for laying birds. Assuming that means for getting eggs rather than roofies for chickens.

I heard on a podcast that it's a crap ton cheaper to get the corn and wheat and whatnot and mix up your own chicken feed but haven't looked into that yet.

I assumed there was like a 10-day pipeline of eggs up the chickens' asses.

Not every ass is as versatile as yours.

Vince wrote:I heard on a podcast that it's a crap ton cheaper to get the corn and wheat and whatnot and mix up your own chicken feed but haven't looked into that yet.

MY BOOK (already tired of saying that) said mixing your own feed is:

1 - Difficult to get the correct proportions correct as to what your chickens need, and

2 - You won't save as much if you can't buy in bulk like someone with 5k chickens does.

This site says just let my chickens get cold.

http://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16 ... not-to-do/

GORDON wrote:

Vince wrote:I heard on a podcast that it's a crap ton cheaper to get the corn and wheat and whatnot and mix up your own chicken feed but haven't looked into that yet.

MY BOOK (already tired of saying that) said mixing your own feed is:

1 - Difficult to get the correct proportions correct as to what your chickens need, and

2 - You won't save as much if you can't buy in bulk like someone with 5k chickens does.

Had to go back and read the title of that podcast. The guy said he feeds 30 chickens for $1.25 a day. I'd have to say that the guys that wrote your book are hippies. Reason I say that is because farmers have been raising chickens for a few hundred years without commercially available feed and we've been eating eggs for a very long time. Not saying that the precise mix can be attained that way, but how close do you have to get really? It's not rocket surgery.

GORDON wrote:This site says just let my chickens get cold.

http://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16 ... not-to-do/

I saw a show with some self sufficient types that would wipe down eggs with mineral oil to get the shells airtight before storing them. Didn't even store them in a fridge. I'd think if you keep your excess eggs wiped with mineral oil and kept in a semi cool room they'll carry you through the winter. This lady said they'd keep unrefrigerated with the mineral oil on them for about 6 months.

Went out of town for the weekend two weeks ago. Returned home to our first egg. In the following two weeks, got about 14 eggs through Friday of last week. Went out of town Friday and returned Sunday and had 11 eggs over those three days. So production has really kicked in. Ate some scrambled eggs for dinner last night and the shells seem good and strong. Even had one double yolk egg which for some reason feels like a pioneer farmer's lottery or something.

Left town for 10 days last Friday, I am told another rooster started crowing an hour after I left. Little fucker was waiting for me to leave.

Vince wrote:Went out of town for the weekend two weeks ago. Returned home to our first egg. In the following two weeks, got about 14 eggs through Friday of last week. Went out of town Friday and returned Sunday and had 11 eggs over those three days. So production has really kicked in. Ate some scrambled eggs for dinner last night and the shells seem good and strong. Even had one double yolk egg which for some reason feels like a pioneer farmer's lottery or something.

Well, until you're sick to death of eggs.

Alhazad wrote:

Vince wrote:Went out of town for the weekend two weeks ago. Returned home to our first egg. In the following two weeks, got about 14 eggs through Friday of last week. Went out of town Friday and returned Sunday and had 11 eggs over those three days. So production has really kicked in. Ate some scrambled eggs for dinner last night and the shells seem good and strong. Even had one double yolk egg which for some reason feels like a pioneer farmer's lottery or something.

Well, until you're sick to death of eggs.

Yeah, there's that.

I eat two eggs every day.

Except when I eat 3.

So far we're averaging about 3 eggs per day. I may start scrambling a couple for breakfast.

Eggs can also be used for barter amongst the neighbors.

GORDON wrote:Eggs can also be used for barter amongst the neighbors.

I don't consider the threat of throwing eggs at someone's house to be barter, but I suppose you could interpret it that way.

Yeah, problem is that I don't think the neighbors produce anything I want. Good will.eggs, I guess.

And a 3rd one just started crowing.

Christ, my chicken sexer really sucked.

GORDON wrote:And a 3rd one just started crowing.

Christ, my chicken sexer really sucked.

Still got problems telling dudes from chicks, eh?