Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Vivian on January 13, 2007, 14:09
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Hi everyone, haven't been in touch lately - nothing much to report but today I am 'eggstatic'. My Welsummers or rather one of them has laid its first egg!!!!!! I got five of them on 23.10.05 and have checked everyday. Today I was rewarded. It was however just laid on the dropping board, despite having 3 nest boxes full of hay ready and waiting. Anyway I just thought I would let you know as your help has been invaluable. Cheers!
Vivian :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Silly typing error. I got my girls on 23/10/06. Time just flys
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thank god for the typing error i waas getting worried vivian lol :lol:
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First egg - lovely-
Poached on toast - Yum
Let us know what you do with it :D
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Hi aunti sally, I was going to boil it and have it with soldiers this morning but I am so delighted with it that I can't bring myself to eat it just yet. Maybe if I get another one soon I will. I expect you're all laughing now but I've waited a long time for this. I will boil it this week though. lol
:lol:
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Not laughing at all.
This was Gerty's first egg
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/Lesley-Jean/stunning.jpg)
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Aren't you supposed to take the straw of it before you cook it Aunt Sally???? :lol:
No, we are not lauging Vivian, its a wonderful moment when you get your first egg, especially if you happened to see the hen lay it!!!!!
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Thanks for that. My son took a photo of my egg but yours Aunt Sally puts our effort to shame. It's very professionally taken - good enough to eat. lol : :lol:
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Hello again. Well I have eaten my first welsummer egg and it was so delicious. As I said I would, I boiled it and had it with toast soldiers. The first thing that strikes you is the vibrant orangey colour of the yolk. I've never seen a yolk as orange even in the free range eggs I have bought at the supermarket.
I've has three laid now and although I didn't see it, I heard it arrive and it was still warm when I collected it. An amazing experience I must say. Thanks again for your help. Vivian x
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Wonderful Vivian
It just shows you the difference between what a lot of commercial grower will describe as freerange and true free range like our chooks.
First of many, and you'll enjoy them all :D
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incidently the more gren stuff you feed them the darker the colour in the yolk , fat hen and chickweed is best :wink: look for the welsummers to have a dark mahogany egg colour and then the yolk should be darker ,,
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At the risk if sounding totally ignorant - what is fat hen? Is chickweed the same as found in the garden. They are really fussy hens and then only vegetable I've got them to eat is boiled red cabbage. They are not laying in the nesting boxes either - any suggestions please. :?:
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Chick weed
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/Lesley-Jean/chickweed-1.jpg)
Fat hen
(http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c149/Lesley-Jean/Fat-Hen-2.jpg)
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Both quite common garden weeds :D
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chickweed is yummy in salads too :D for us not the chooks
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if they are not laying in the boxes there is a reason the box top may be to low or not wide enough .put clean hay /straw in plumped up and deep , make sure your rosting perches are not directly over the boxes as well nobody like being chit on from above :wink:
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Oooo... I'll have to try that when summer comes :!:
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Thanks for the photos, they are a great help. I have seen small amounts of chickweed and fat hen in my garden when weeding but not alot. Don't suppose they eat ground elder !!!!!!! That is one weed I have in abundance.
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With regard to the nest boxes. They did have a lid on them which I thought might be making the birds a bit frightened so I propped it up well out of the way just this week. They could probably do with some more hay in. I think there has been one hen having a look in one because the hay this morning had been shaped into a nest and a feather I had placed in it to let it know where to go had been thrown out. I am hoping once they start to lay in ernest they will then gat the idea.
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I hope Vivian does not mind me posting my first egg news here but I thought it pointless to make another post when this one was right at the top.
I got my first egg today :D
I got home from work and headed straight down the garden to work on the run. I checked on the girls and there it was :D
Some untidy lady had emptied the nest boxes of all the straw except one.
It is 68 grams and I expect it is from the light sussex cross as she is the only large fowl in lay.
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Wonderful Barry, the first egg is so exciting. Well every egg is exciting to me.
Can I see muntjac going :roll:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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Congratulations Aunt Sally for some how resisting the urge to say eggciting :D
I am so chuffed, I have been calling everyone.
Oh and here is a pic.
(http://bp2.blogger.com/_g3z7ImoZmOo/RbULu0UYWdI/AAAAAAAAACc/60svINHaZx4/s320/DSC01792.jpg)
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How are you going to cook it :D
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Not sure yet, recenly I have enjoyed Eggs benedict. I'm not posh or anything, just like to pretend I am :)
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now folks .. the first EGG is a massive moment in the chicken keeping world for new members of this illustrios group , what delights are held in the mind from this first EGG . will you fry it , boil it , poach it , make a quiche out of it . the concoctions are endless , but wait
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THIS IS YOUR FIRST EGG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
take a small nail punch holes in iether end and putting a needle in poke it about a bit inside . now taking your lips and putting them over the thin end hole blow gently and lo and behold the EGG will out ........ now take the shell the remaing EGG and put a little piece of sellotape over each of the holes . take a chicken shaped EGG cup mount the EGG in the EGG cup and using a small piece of well polished mahogany wood stick the EGG cup to it ,now taking a small brass preinscribed plaque have
!!!!!!!!!!THIS IS MY FIRST EGG !!!!!!!!!!!!
dont forget to date it .,,. and you can proudly display the EGG for all your nieghbours friends and family to share ,,,,,,,,OR SEE BELOW
or you drop the blooming thing on ya way back to the house with it
LMAOOOOOOOOOO :lol:
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Don't mind at all. Congratulations I know how you feel. About preserving the egg Munkjac - I used to keep geese and one time Gabrielle laid an egg 10 oz in weight. I got my other half to blow it (with great difficulty) and it has pride of place in the china cabinet mounted in a wine glass.
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how wide does the hole need to be, just the nails width?
I fancy doing this when i get my first (just building the run now). I guess if the nail etc is sterile then the egg could still be used to cook. Hmmm, scrambled egg, hmmm...
im at work and gettin hungry :(
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affirmative zak mate