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One of the birds must have been laying, or really close to lay. They are egg yolks of different sizes that collect along the ovaries. The largest one separates from the ovary, enters the oviduct and becomes the next day's egg. Some people save them for egg drop soup or other dishes.

As far as the organic feed thing goes, that is up to you. Why are you considering it? Do you think it may be healthier for you (no GMOS, no synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers on the grains that your hens are eating), or that it is better for the grain farmers and the environment...

Organic chicks can be hard to find. The National Organic Program does not require organic hens to be raised from organic chicks. Chicks must be raised organically from the second day of life (it is assumed the chick is living on the yolk sac from the mother hen's egg for the first day). Thus...

I just use a large kettle on a propane burner.

Layer is normally cheaper because there are 4-5 pounds of minerals in each 50 bag. You are getting 45 lbs of grain and high protein meal and 5 lbs of very inexpensive limestone. That brings to mind another thought, misconceptions that I see sometimes. The percentages of protein on layer feed...

Corn actually has a low heat increment because it low in fiber and easily digestible....

The corn is likely replaced with wheat. Not much difference except the wheat will likely produce paler yolks, as a lot of yolk color comes from the pigments in yellow corn. In countries where they feed white corn or mostly small grains the yolk is almost white....

Those drinkers are normally used in commercial watering systems where the pressure is adjustable, commonly 6-12" of water column pressure. The pressure governs how much water is discharged each time the drinker is triggered. If the pressure is too high then the hen gets more than a beakfull and...

Milled grains without further processing.

"Only" $2 each? How much are regular canning jars there? Here, they usually sell for $8-$10 for a case of 12 with rings and lids

We talked about that earlier in this thread. The larger pluckers need several birds at a time. One bird spins too fast. We have a EZ-188 and I do 4 layer hens at time or 2-3 broilers. With a good scald they should be done in less than ten seconds, don't overdo it trying to get it to pluck a...

No, it does decompose, but it does it rather slowly. The moisture level in the litter pack is such that it is friable and it flows between my fingers, but not so dry that it becomes dusty in there. A couple inches of pine shavings or a foot of straw will decompose into the litter pack in about...

Poultry manure has a lot nitrogen. It doesn't necessarily take huge amounts of it. My resources say that softwood shavings have a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 225:1 and layer hen manure at 6:1. So it's about 15 lbs of pine shavings to 1 pound of manure to create a 25:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio...

I find pine shavings to be very absorbent. They help dry up problems areas in our coops. Not sure why you'd say they'd add to the ammonia. The high carbon content helps to balance the nitrogen in the manure. What is sweet lime?

If it's been raining the high humidity makes it tough for it dry out. Wait for some drier weather and give it a chance to dry out. Just opening the door during the day might not do it. It needs ventilation 24/7. Vents in the gables or ridge will help warm, moist air rise out and pull in...

That's enough calcium. Those shell-less eggs are due to the hens laying the eggs early, before the shell is formed, usually due to disturbances around the coop at night, e.g., dogs barking, critters scratching around, people walking through the coop to check on them.

How is the bucket filled? You can make a makeshift regulator by putting a float valve in the bucket to maintain a constant water level in the bucket. Then adjust the height of the bucket to adjust the water column pressure, i.e, adjust the height of the bucket so that the water level in the...

What are you feeding them now? Just scratch?

I'd have to ask why you want to feed them scratch or "treats". Feeding them extra grains only dilutes the protein and minerals in their layer ration. The mill has formulated that ration to provide specific nutrients at specific levels. They don't mix the feed in specific proportions and then...

5 week old chicks should be eating grower feed. They won't need oyster shell until they are laying. At that point you would feed them layer feed with oyster shell free-choice on the side. Feeding it to chicks that aren't laying can be hard on their kidneys. They can get insoluble grit for...