How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Egg consistency? How to adjust?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Re: [CHICKENS-101] Egg consistency? How to adjust?

Allen, it's the freshness of the egg that makes it hard to peel. The older the egg before you boil it, the easier it will be to peel. I store my eggs in a big egg carton in the fridge, with the older eggs to the right and fresher to the left. I leave half a dozen of the older eggs alone for a while, using the fresher ones for other things, until I want to boil some.

Young pullets tend to lay the hardest eggs with the thickest shells. Your chicken's eggs will likely have thinner shells as she gets older. Not much you can do about it but be patient. Don't withhold oyster shell or anything like that, she will just pull the calcium from her own bones, and you don't want that.

Maureen and the girls at the
Rowdy Girls Ranch
Marana, AZ

In a message dated 2/22/2012 9:06:21 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time, a_moretsky@hotmail.com writes:

Just got our 2nd egg from Hannibelle the cannibal.

The last egg we fried so no issue.

This time we boiled it as my son is fond of toast and boiled egg.

The store bought eggs, when boiled, seem to be much easier to remove from the shell.

I made a recent discovery in my old age; now when removing the egg from the shell I merely shim the spoon under the shell and remove the boiled egg - often complete.

But these eggs are more difficult. It's harder to remove the egg from the membrane below the shell. Why is that?

Breed of chicken?
Freshness of egg?
Food?

Is there some adjustment one can make to correct this. Also, the shell is a bit too hard. I wonder if that has something to do with this?

Allen