ForFlocksSake
Songster
My first of 5 has started laying this week. A (about) 20 week old Rhode Island Red. So far she's a rockstar and has laid an egg pretty much every day since. They're small, which of course I expect this early, with very strong shells. I am, however surprised by the yolk color. I thought it would be more orange? theyre yellowish yolks just like store bought. They definitely taste better but I thought rich orange yolks was what you get from fresh eggs. Is this an age thing? or are my expectations incorrect?
Another question I have - Do people wash their eggs prior to cooking? I have been keeping them on the counter and then rinsing/rubbing them right before I cook them. Is this even necessary if they're clean looking? Its just one pullet right now laying and I am very vigilant about keeping the nesting boxes clean, so the eggs look very clean when I bring them inside. I see all these "enzyme" cleaners online and don't know if this is just marketing or something that people do.
and last question- should I save the shells and feed them back to the girls? They already get oyster shells and I will be switching to layer feed as soon as I run out of grower. Most days they get leftover scrambled eggs (store bought for now) from my kids never finishing their breakfast. I read that some people crush and mix the shells in scrambled eggs and feed it back. Is this really beneficial or should I just compost the shells?
Another question I have - Do people wash their eggs prior to cooking? I have been keeping them on the counter and then rinsing/rubbing them right before I cook them. Is this even necessary if they're clean looking? Its just one pullet right now laying and I am very vigilant about keeping the nesting boxes clean, so the eggs look very clean when I bring them inside. I see all these "enzyme" cleaners online and don't know if this is just marketing or something that people do.
and last question- should I save the shells and feed them back to the girls? They already get oyster shells and I will be switching to layer feed as soon as I run out of grower. Most days they get leftover scrambled eggs (store bought for now) from my kids never finishing their breakfast. I read that some people crush and mix the shells in scrambled eggs and feed it back. Is this really beneficial or should I just compost the shells?