For all the chicken ownwers :)

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DOZ
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For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by DOZ »

hey guys ,

I am now raising my own chickens and I am storing the eggs.
My question is , if my eggs are fertilized ( cause I have a rooster ) can I store them anyway and will they still be good?

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.

Looking forward to your knowledge :)

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mes5464
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by mes5464 »

DOZ wrote:hey guys ,

I am now raising my own chickens and I am storing the eggs.
My question is , if my eggs are fertilized ( cause I have a rooster ) can I store them anyway and will they still be good?

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.

Looking forward to your knowledge :)
We have read about the storage you described but we don't do it that way. We store our eggs in jars of water mixed with sodium silicate. This is the way our ward's food storage expert recommended to us. Everything we read about this method is for best results use fresh (same day) eggs. The mixture ratio is 1:9. To answer your question specifically, we do store the fertilized (same day) eggs.

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Songbird
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Songbird »

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.
REALLY???????
We have read about the storage you described but we don't do it that way. We store our eggs in jars of water mixed with sodium silicate. This is the way our ward's food storage expert recommended to us. Everything we read about this method is for best results use fresh (same day) eggs. The mixture ratio is 1:9. To answer your question specifically, we do store the fertilized (same day) eggs.
What is sodium silicate? 1 part sodium silicate/9 parts water? What do you store them it? Quart jars? How many to the container? How many are you storing for the year?

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bobhenstra
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by bobhenstra »

It would depend upon what you have easy access to. Mineral oil is good! Sodium silicate works! My Grandma stored her fresh eggs in rendered pig lard. She would carefully stack the eggs in a container and poor warm melted lard over them. However, Grandma stored hard boiled eggs the same way, eggs they ate for snacks during times of bad weather.

Grandma cooked the absolutely best egg soup I have ever eaten, unfortunately, the recipe apparently died with her. Even my aunts refused to share the recipe. It was like an egg drop soup with hard boiled eggs added. Once she caught me trying to snitch a few extra eggs, I was only allowed one per bowl. Boy did I hear about that-------

Bob

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Songbird
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Songbird »

bobhenstra wrote:It would depend upon what you have easy access to. Mineral oil is good! Sodium silicate works! My Grandma stored her fresh eggs in rendered pig lard. She would carefully stack the eggs in a container and poor warm melted lard over them. However, Grandma stored hard boiled eggs the same way, eggs they ate for snacks during times of bad weather.

Grandma cooked the absolutely best egg soup I have ever eaten, unfortunately, the recipe apparently died with her. Even my aunts refused to share the recipe. It was like an egg drop soup with hard boiled eggs added. Once she caught me trying to snitch a few extra eggs, I was only allowed one per bowl. Boy did I hear about that-------

Bob
Is a year the very longest time they last?

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bobhenstra
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by bobhenstra »

I don't know how long they'll last, they were always all eaten before the winter was over. Grandma stored both peeled and unpeeled hard boiled eggs in lard. One thing I didn't mention, you have to vibrate the egg container as you pour the lard in, so there are no air bubbles. Also, I think any vegetable oil would work if stored in a cool dry place. I would choose two quart bottles. Then if I wanted to seal them I could.

Bob

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ChelC
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by ChelC »

I don't store eggs because my chickens lay enough all year. Occasionally at Christmas baking time they fall short, but usually they keep up fine. You can freeze eggs in ice cube trays and bag them after they freeze as another option. That doesn't help for a doomsday scenario, but it does work.

The key is just to keep contamination from getting into the pores of the egg. I was really freaked out when we first got our own eggs. I thought that if I didn't get those suckers chilled right away they wouldn't be safe. That was until we incubated them. We saved eggs at room temperature for at least week before we incubated them. That's what a hen does, too. If they weren't safe, they wouldn't develop and grow.

Anyway, I know that doesn't answer your question really, but fertilized or not shouldn't matter. You really just have to keep bacteria at bay.

singyourwayhome
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by singyourwayhome »

Songbird wrote:What is sodium silicate? 1 part sodium silicate/9 parts water? What do you store them it? Quart jars? How many to the container? How many are you storing for the year?
Sodium Silicate used to be known as "water glass". You can read about it from a scientific standpoint on Wikipedia.

Two sites that discuss Water Glass preservation are http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/Th ... -Eggs.html (the best of the two here)
http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/preservation.html (the most concise of the two)


And according to the first of those links, whether or not an egg is fertilized is irrelevant to storing it.

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Songbird
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Songbird »

singyourwayhome wrote:
Songbird wrote:What is sodium silicate? 1 part sodium silicate/9 parts water? What do you store them it? Quart jars? How many to the container? How many are you storing for the year?
Sodium Silicate used to be known as "water glass". You can read about it from a scientific standpoint on Wikipedia.

Two sites that discuss Water Glass preservation are http://chestofbooks.com/food/recipes/Th ... -Eggs.html (the best of the two here)
http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/preservation.html (the most concise of the two)


And according to the first of those links, whether or not an egg is fertilized is irrelevant to storing it.
Thanks Sing!

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DOZ
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by DOZ »

mes5464 wrote:
DOZ wrote:hey guys ,

I am now raising my own chickens and I am storing the eggs.
My question is , if my eggs are fertilized ( cause I have a rooster ) can I store them anyway and will they still be good?

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.

Looking forward to your knowledge :)
We have read about the storage you described but we don't do it that way. We store our eggs in jars of water mixed with sodium silicate. This is the way our ward's food storage expert recommended to us. Everything we read about this method is for best results use fresh (same day) eggs. The mixture ratio is 1:9. To answer your question specifically, we do store the fertilized (same day) eggs.

where can I find that stuff?

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bobhenstra
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by bobhenstra »

No matter your storage medium, the eggs both fresh and hard boiled must be stored in the oil or water glass. Just coating the egg won't be successful. You must place the eggs in a container then pour water glass, lard, or vegetable oil over the eggs keeping air away from the egg shells Air naturally seeps through the egg shells if not properly protected. If there's a question, simply put the uncooked eggs in question in water, bad eggs will float. Bad hard boiled eggs will let you know they're bad as soon as you crack the shell.

Bob
Last edited by bobhenstra on August 8th, 2011, 10:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

singyourwayhome
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by singyourwayhome »

Songbird wrote:Thanks Sing!
You're welcome, Song! :))

According to this article, http://www.greatdreams.com/egg-storage.htm, you should be able to buy it, labeled "sodium silicate solution" at any pharmacy, though they may have to special-order it.
It's fascinating stuff, with lots of uses in manufacturing and more.

I didn't have any luck with the online pharmacies, but found it a couple other places; remember when looking at prices that you dilute it with water:
http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Sodium ... 5C670.aspx
http://www.axner.com/sodium-silicate-liquid.aspx
It looks like mostly chemical/lab supply stores carry it.

Then there was a site (alibaba) that has a minimum order of 20 metric tons... =))

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Songbird
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Songbird »

singyourwayhome wrote:
Songbird wrote:Thanks Sing!
You're welcome, Song! :))

According to this article, http://www.greatdreams.com/egg-storage.htm, you should be able to buy it, labeled "sodium silicate solution" at any pharmacy, though they may have to special-order it.
It's fascinating stuff, with lots of uses in manufacturing and more.

I didn't have any luck with the online pharmacies, but found it a couple other places; remember when looking at prices that you dilute it with water:
http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Sodium ... 5C670.aspx
http://www.axner.com/sodium-silicate-liquid.aspx
It looks like mostly chemical/lab supply stores carry it.

Then there was a site (alibaba) that has a minimum order of 20 metric tons... =))
You're funny! We are a Sing-Song bunch! =))

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DOZ
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by DOZ »

thank you everyone , my questions were answered :)

Vision
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Vision »

DOZ wrote:hey guys ,

I am now raising my own chickens and I am storing the eggs.
My question is , if my eggs are fertilized ( cause I have a rooster ) can I store them anyway and will they still be good?

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.

Looking forward to your knowledge :)

Did you mean good for eating, or for hatching? The reference to being fertilized makes me think you are concerned about hatching them.

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DOZ
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by DOZ »

Vision wrote:
DOZ wrote:hey guys ,

I am now raising my own chickens and I am storing the eggs.
My question is , if my eggs are fertilized ( cause I have a rooster ) can I store them anyway and will they still be good?

I researched stored eggs. One can store eggs up to a year if dipped in mineral oil and stored in a cool dark room.

Looking forward to your knowledge :)

Did you mean good for eating, or for hatching? The reference to being fertilized makes me think you are concerned about hatching them.
I meant eating them. I was concerned about storing fertilized eggs.

4boys4me
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by 4boys4me »

Hi, everyone I have been lurking for quite a while and have learned a lot from this site. But I am just wondering if you store your eggs in this manner if you don't have to worry about salmonella or other bacteria? Do they have to be fresh eggs or can you do store bought eggs this way as well? And where can you buy the Sodium Silicate?

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Jason
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Jason »

When do the bloomin birds start laying eggs.....I'm running out of patience and I'm gonna start roasting them for dinner if I don't get eggs! Do I need a rooster to get the party started???

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linj2fly
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by linj2fly »

Jason wrote:When do the bloomin birds start laying eggs.....I'm running out of patience and I'm gonna start roasting them for dinner if I don't get eggs! Do I need a rooster to get the party started???
Jason, what breed(s) do you have? Some of the hybrids lay as early as 16 wks old, others not till 20+ weeks. You don't need a rooster for the layers to start laying. If you don't already have one, you may want to consider hooking up a light.

waking
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by waking »

Jason, you might also try the "nest egg" method.

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bobhenstra
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by bobhenstra »

First, how old are your hens, and what breed are they? Second, Roosters are not necessary, but are you sure you actually have hens? Third, if your sure your chickens are hens, then what you don't have is patience! Patience Brother, they'll start laying!--- O:-)

Bob

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Jason
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Jason »

I got 6 chickens....two of three different varieties (all brown egg layers) but can't remember which - two black, two red/brown streaked, and two yellow/tan. Got them at the IFA in Riverton in early March as chicks. I tried the uneven/even feather test but with nothing but pin feather couldn't tell male/female. Guy that worked there suggested a method an old Mexican lady shared with him - dangle them by the skin on the back of their necks. Males kick and fight like mad....females after 10 to 20 seconds will just go placid and dangle. We went with that and all 6 dangled.

We don't get any morning wake up calls and they are pretty much pretty quiet. They butt each other in the chest once in awhile but I haven't witnessed anything that would suggest male/female mix. They don't seem to be getting any bigger. They spend the day in the yard so they get plenty of light....also have a clear plexiglass roof skylight for the portable coop I built. Going on 5 months now since we got them and not a single egg.

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shadow
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by shadow »

Jason wrote: Going on 5 months now since we got them and not a single egg.
Sounds like an LDSFF BBQ at Jason's house this weekend :o)
Try feeding them egg-maker feed. Mix in some oyster shells while you're at it. Our 4 chickens consistently give us 4 eggs/day.

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bobhenstra
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by bobhenstra »

Sounds like you've got two Black Astrolorps, two Rhode Island Reds and two Buff Orphingtons, all brown egg layers. Since you allow the chickens to roam the yard, hens have a habit of finding secret hiding places to lay their eggs, have you searched your yard for secret hiding places? If you find the place, be sure and test any eggs you find by floating them in cold water, if they float they're bad.

Also, do you have a dog, dogs will sometimes eat eggs as will other animals. You may be feeding some sneaky little critter that just can't believe his fantastic luck! Keep the hens locked up for several days, make sure they have plenty of air and food. Just because you have nests in your coop doesn't mean a thing to a chicken. A couple of golf balls in a nest may help. Every time you mow your lawn feed the clippings to your chickens.

Every time a hen lays an egg she lets the world know, lots of noise, learn to listen for that noise. Last hint, some hens eat their own eggs, rare, but it happens, and it'll eat any other eggs that happens to be available. Discover this by keeping hens separate, may not be convenient, but well worth the time and effort. Lock the hens up at night, in the morning let all but one of the hens out. Hens should be laying at 5 months. If they're actually hens, you should have a pile of eggs---somewhere!

Bob

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Jason
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Re: For all the chicken ownwers :)

Post by Jason »

shadow wrote:
Jason wrote: Going on 5 months now since we got them and not a single egg.
Sounds like an LDSFF BBQ at Jason's house this weekend :o)
Try feeding them egg-maker feed. Mix in some oyster shells while you're at it. Our 4 chickens consistently give us 4 eggs/day.
Done that...they've gone through a bag of feed now and mostly ignore the oyster shells...

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