Quandry?

[Snadger]

Its recommended to get rid of chooks after a couple of years because they stop laying.
I made a decision to let them see their life out, not worried about counting eggs.
The problem is, quite a few of mine are still laying but the eggs are deformed or wrinkly.
I can't get rid of these by selling them so the only way is to use them myself.
I think OH is getting a bit sick of only having deformed eggs in the house!

My hens are the healthiest of all of them kept at our allotments. They are twice the size of most, fully feathered and the only way I know which are the oldies is by their wrinkled feet (maybe wrinkled feet equals wrinkled eggs?)
I don't really want to cull them but can't use all the wrinkly eggs they give me. My dog likes raw eggs so she's getting quite a few recently but as my hens get older the problem is only going to worsen.

Any ideas folks?

[Glutton4...]

Tell Mrs. Snadge not to be so bladdy fussy!

[ginger ninger]

Have you tried to market them as a novelty Snadger? I'm surmising there's nothing wrong with the egg's apart from there wrinkles...they taste the same as an unwrinkled one don't they? It's just they look funny, it seem's a shame to let the dog have them.

[Jeanied]

As far as I'm concerned, eggs is eggs. No eggs would be a different matter. Now what would happen if all wrinklies were not allowed?

[sheena]

I've had some weird and wonderful shaped eggs, but my regulars don't mind different shapes and sizes. The one thing they do ask me is am I likely to get any double yolkers... only time will tell, but I have found the older the chook - the bigger the egg!

Sell them as value eggs lol, the content's the same, only the packaging has changed. Paint some blue and white stripes on em

[Bramble-Poultry]

you could freeze them as "wet egg" by cracking them into portions and whisking slightly then freezing. they'll last 6 months in there and tide you over in the winter when they arent laying much. they'll be no good for fried eggs but they will be ok for cakes etc.

you could make a spnge cake and then freeze it if you ave too many, boil them and then pickle them for later on in the season.

The OH doesnt have to see them as fried all the time!

[Nicos]

Advertise them as rescued hens eggs..and give an explanation of the shell.
Peeps like a novelty.

You know something Snadge??...there are loads of wrinkly eggs just like that in our markets at exactly the same price as 'normal' eggs.

I think British consumers have been molly coddled for too long!

Give peeps a choice- and an explanation- and they'll sell just as well.

[di]

We're soon to find ourselves in a similar situation
Difference is,before we got them we agreed they were lottie chooks,therefore there to provide eggs and when they stop they'd go... a couple of years on and it's not quite so cut and dry...nobody warns you about how they inch their way into your heart

I feel really cold saying it and please,I don't need the 'Oh how could you?' comments,but there's a lady on our site who was chatting about what we'd do with them when they slow right down on laying.I told her I wasn't sure I could eat them and she said she prefers the older chickens for meat...more flavour apparently.So there's our problem(sort of)solved...she's going to have them!
They're still laying a decent amount of eggs between them,so it won't be this year,but basically,we keep our chooks on the plot to supply us with food.Unless we disregarded allotment rules over how many we can keep we will eventually be faced with the choice of keeping non layers and not being allowed to add to our numbers or,unfortunately letting some of the older ones go

[sheena]

I know exactly what you mean Andi and Di, when I got my chooks last year I said that I would do the same and eat them when they had finished laying. As you say, they do worm their way into your heart and after having to cull one of my girl's last within the first 6 months (ex-batt) I vowed that I could never do it again and it also put me off wanting to eat my own girl's.

I say if your girl's aren't laying, they've had a great life with you but unfortunately they are part of the food chain. I'd be more than happy to give non layers to someone who can make use of them.

Others might not be so keen on our opinions, but everything dies... it's the time inbetween that matters the most.

[Glutton4...]

I keep the big eggs for us because I get first choice, and I give the odd-shaped ones to my folks, but my customers have never complained about odd ones. In the winter they were glad to have any eggs at all. Sadly I've been giving them away to friends this week, as I have so many, but don't tell Mr. G. I said that!

As for end of laying; most of mine are ex-batts, and somehow I'd feel bad culling and eating them, I suppose it's because I 'rescued' them. Had I reared them, it would be different, as I'm fully prepared to rear birds and eat the fellas (and Asbo for that matter!)

[RichmondHens]

Its recommended to get rid of chooks after a couple of years because they stop laying.
I made a decision to let them see their life out, not worried about counting eggs.
The problem is, quite a few of mine are still laying but the eggs are deformed or wrinkly.
I can't get rid of these by selling them so the only way is to use them myself.
I think OH is getting a bit sick of only having deformed eggs in the house!

Any ideas folks?

Two years old is not old for a hen. I have a seven year old bantam who lays regularly and her eggs are perfect. I bred from her last year and her daughters are beautiful. I have a 4 year old Sussex cross (LF) who lays huge eggs regularly (we call them Barbie bombs) but they are normal shapes. She gives the occasional soft shell but that's about it. I have also bred successfully from her this year.

If a hen is consistently laying odd shaped or wrinkly shelled eggs she has possibly been exposed to Infectious bronchitis, which affects the oviduct. This may have happened before you got her.

Are you sure the wrinkly feet you describe isn't an attack of scaly leg mite? Legs should remain smooth throughout a hen's life, regardless of age. Scales do moult off once a year, and you may notice a very slight lifting of one or two when this happens, but the general appearance should be normal.

Like Bramble I have been freezing eggs, which works well. I freeze them in beaten batches of three. I'm hoping to have enough frozen eggs to see me through the lean times in the winter.

[Bramble-Poultry]

perhaps another thing to do with them Snadge is boil them and pickle then and then sell them like this - theres nothing wrong with them apart from the shells so people will still be buying a good quality egg - just pickled!

[frias]

Any wrinkly or thin shelled eggs I get from the batties gets scrambed and fed back to them. When you take on ex-batts it's to home them in their retirement and as they are considered 'spent' any eggs are a bonus. One of my girls arrived here 2 years ago laying wrinkly eggs, has only laid yolks with no shell for the last year and now doesn't lay anything. She's still got a home for the rest of her life though and I view my girls as I would a pet rabbit or cat and I wouldn't get eggs from them.
Good on you for keeping them Snadger. I would offer the wrinkly eggs a bit cheaper. Years ago my mum had a hotel and she always bought the eggs that no-one else wanted from the egg farm at a cheaper price.

[mr darcy]

how long can one keep frozen eggs? do you freeze them in a plastic bag?
ps I never intend to cull any of my hens,not ever,wrinkly eggs, no eggs, don't care!!!they are no more part of the food chain then my cat is,but you know me, soppy eejit!