This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
a Monday Funny:

http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/


Steve

On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
> a Monday Funny:
>
> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>
>
> Steve

So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by weight.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376

On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
> On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>> a Monday Funny:
>>
>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>>
>>
>> Steve
>
> So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by weight.
>
> http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There are
guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:49:59 +0000, Steve Pope wrote:

> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as a Monday Funny:
>
> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/

Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the above link
was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly which rags s(he)
was referring to (or what was said exactly)... But whatever they were, the
interpretation is pretty amusing.

Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole, fresh,
uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to supply *exactly* a
kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or more) of them in half, maybe?

FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by weight" for
as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to weigh a minimum of
X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large", extra-large eggs have to
weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the corresponding weight per "grade"
has to be printed on the labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in
traditional egg boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or
36 eggs.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

ChattyCathy > wrote:

>Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the above link
>was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly which rags s(he)
>was referring to (or what was said exactly)... But whatever they were, the
>interpretation is pretty amusing.
>
>Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole, fresh,
>uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to supply *exactly* a
>kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or more) of them in half, maybe?
>
>FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by weight" for
>as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to weigh a minimum of
>X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large", extra-large eggs have to
>weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the corresponding weight per "grade"
>has to be printed on the labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in
>traditional egg boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or
>36 eggs.

I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size
eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
"extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.

Steve

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:51:40 +0000, Steve Pope wrote:

> I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size eggs
> to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
> "extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.

Yeah, where I live a lot of people don't mind buying a carton of fresh
"free-range" eggs in varying sizes/weights from these farmers markets
because they are usually a lot nicer (and fresher) than those "battery
eggs" sold in most supermarkets, regardless of size and/or weight.

FWIW, I don't think I've had to buy more than half a dozen eggs in the
last 4 or 5 years (we have chickens in our back yard, dunno if I told
you that?) I've given dozens of them away for nothing; just couldn't use
them up quick enough...

However, I do keep the odd eye out on the prices for eggs sold in the
supermarkets (who have to abide by the "rules and regulations"), and
the other day I saw some eggs marked as "extra-large" in one of our local
stupid markets; label had 59g ea on it. The eggs my chickens lay are
generally heavier than that (I just weighed 3 of them - and they were
approx. 90g ea on my kitchen scale). They just "look" much bigger in
comparison too. So these might qualify to be "Jumbo" eggs - dunno.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
>>Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the above link
>>was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly which rags s(he)
>>was referring to (or what was said exactly)... But whatever they were, the
>>interpretation is pretty amusing.
>>
>>Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole, fresh,
>>uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to supply *exactly* a
>>kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or more) of them in half, maybe?
>>
>>FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by weight" for
>>as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to weigh a minimum of
>>X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large", extra-large eggs have to
>>weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the corresponding weight per "grade"
>>has to be printed on the labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in
>>traditional egg boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or
>>36 eggs.
>
> I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size
> eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
> "extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.
>
> Steve
But it's critical if you are a baker!
Graham

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
news:so4Wn.46499$We4.45178@hurricane...
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:49:59 +0000, Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as a Monday Funny:
>>
>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>
> Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the above link
> was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly which rags s(he)
> was referring to (or what was said exactly)... But whatever they were, the
> interpretation is pretty amusing.
>
> Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole, fresh,
> uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to supply *exactly* a
> kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or more) of them in half, maybe?
>
> FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by weight" for
> as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to weigh a minimum of
> X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large", extra-large eggs have to
> weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the corresponding weight per "grade"
> has to be printed on the labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in
> traditional egg boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or
> 36 eggs.
>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28...cken_egg_sizes

These tables are important as I usually use UK baking books and a large egg
there is ~equivalent to an X-large in Canada and the US.
Graham

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:48:56 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

> However, I do keep the odd eye out on the prices for eggs sold in the
> supermarkets (who have to abide by the "rules and regulations"), and
> the other day I saw some eggs marked as "extra-large" in one of our local
> stupid markets; label had 59g ea on it. The eggs my chickens lay are
> generally heavier than that (I just weighed 3 of them - and they were
> approx. 90g ea on my kitchen scale). They just "look" much bigger in
> comparison too. So these might qualify to be "Jumbo" eggs - dunno.

I can recall ever seeing AA Jumbo's, don't even know if they exist.
The jumbo's I notice are A. Maybe restaurants use the bulk of AA, so
we don't get them in the grocery store. Dunno. I buy AA extra large.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:01:03 -0600, graham wrote:

>>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28...cken_egg_sizes
>
> These tables are important as I usually use UK baking books and a large egg
> there is ~equivalent to an X-large in Canada and the US.
> Graham

Useful link, thanks. And looking at this I think I can safely assume that
the eggs my chickens are laying at the moment would be termed "Jumbo" or
"Very Large" in several parts of the world :-)

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
5.247...
> On Mon 28 Jun 2010 10:58:31a, graham told us...
>
>>
>> "Steve Pope" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> ChattyCathy > wrote:
>>>
>>>>Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the
>>>>above link was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly
>>>>which rags s(he) was referring to (or what was said exactly)...
>>>>But whatever they were, the interpretation is pretty amusing.
>>>>
>>>>Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole,
>>>>fresh, uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to
>>>>supply *exactly* a kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or
>>>>more) of them in half, maybe?
>>>>
>>>>FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by
>>>>weight" for as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to
>>>>weigh a minimum of X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large",
>>>>extra-large eggs have to weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the
>>>>corresponding weight per "grade" has to be printed on the
>>>>labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in traditional egg
>>>>boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or 36 eggs.
>>>
>>> I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell
>>> random-size eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that
>>> may say "medium", "extra large" or whatever but it is
>>> meaningless.
>>>
>>> Steve
>> But it's critical if you are a baker!
>> Graham
>
> Most US recipes specify eggs by size. usually "large". If you
> consult a grading scale for what constitutes a large egg and have a
> scale, it's just as easy to determine the amount of eggs you need to
> use.
>
But even then, my late mother used to weigh them if she was making, for
example, a Victoria sponge-cake. In fact, for that recipe to work
perfectly, one weighs the eggs and the use that weight for all the other
ingredients.
I make a UK cake recipe every year at xmas and the difference between using
large and extra-large (which I should use) is significant. Both results are
edible but the texture using the correct size is significantly better.
Graham

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:01:03 -0600, graham wrote:
>
>>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28...cken_egg_sizes
>>
>> These tables are important as I usually use UK baking books and a large
>> egg
>> there is ~equivalent to an X-large in Canada and the US.
>> Graham
>
> Useful link, thanks. And looking at this I think I can safely assume that
> the eggs my chickens are laying at the moment would be termed "Jumbo" or
> "Very Large" in several parts of the world :-)
>
Happy chickens!!
My parents (in the UK) bought their eggs from a farm and Mum always weighed
them when she was baking cakes.
Graham

On 6/28/2010 12:03 PM, Wilson wrote:
> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
>> On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>>> a Monday Funny:
>>>
>>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>>>
>>>
>>> Steve
>>
>> So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by
>> weight.
>>
>> http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There
> are guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
>

Take a look at 52.618, Table 1

For example a dozen of large eggs must be 24 ounces minimum.

On 6/28/2010 12:49 PM, ChattyCathy wrote:
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:49:59 +0000, Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as a Monday Funny:
>>
>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>
> Not knowing which "papers over the weekend" the blogger in the above link
> was on about, makes it a tad difficult to know exactly which rags s(he)
> was referring to (or what was said exactly)... But whatever they were, the
> interpretation is pretty amusing.
>
> Imagine going to a supermarket and asking for "a kilo of (whole, fresh,
> uncooked) eggs". So what do the supermarket staff do to supply *exactly* a
> kilo of eggs to a customer? Break one (or more) of them in half, maybe?
>
> FWIW, here in South Africa (chicken) eggs have been "graded by weight" for
> as long as I can remember. i.e. large eggs have to weigh a minimum of
> X-grams *each* in order to be termed "large", extra-large eggs have to
> weigh X-grams each, and so on. And the corresponding weight per "grade"
> has to be printed on the labels/packaging. However, they are still sold in
> traditional egg boxes by the half-dozen, dozen, or in egg trays of 18 or
> 36 eggs.
>
Same in the US and the narrow weight range for the specific size is
noted on the carton.

On 06/28/10 2:37 PM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
> On 6/28/2010 12:03 PM, Wilson wrote:
>> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
>>> On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>>>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>>>> a Monday Funny:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Steve
>>>
>>> So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by
>>> weight.
>>>
>>> http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
>> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There
>> are guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
>>
>
> Take a look at 52.618, Table 1
>
> For example a dozen of large eggs must be 24 ounces minimum.
Couldn't open the referenced file at first since it lacked the .pdf
extension. Yes, those are the guidelines I've seen. But we still buy them by
the count and not the weight, as least not in the usual sense. The subject
line seemed more restrictive, but maybe they are just adopting the same or
equivalent standards we're using.

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:37:36 -0600, graham wrote:

> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:01:03 -0600, graham wrote:
>>
>>
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28...cken_egg_sizes
>>>
>>> These tables are important as I usually use UK baking books and a
>>> large egg
>>> there is ~equivalent to an X-large in Canada and the US. Graham
>>
>> Useful link, thanks. And looking at this I think I can safely assume
>> that the eggs my chickens are laying at the moment would be termed
>> "Jumbo" or "Very Large" in several parts of the world :-)
>>
> Happy chickens!!

They seem to be; they're probably luckier than some. The breeding farm we
bought them from (when they were 4 weeks old) also supply the local
commercial chicken farms where the hens are kept in those tiny little
cages 24/7 for +/- 2 yrs and then off they go to the pet food factory...

Not our lot. They have a fairly decent hen house to sleep in at night
(with nesting boxes for laying their eggs) - but also have a nice big yard
to scratch around in during the day. Of course we feed them layers mash
and corn - and make sure they always have fresh, clean water to drink.

There's a pic of them on the RFC pets page if you're interested (taken a
while back):

http://www.recfoodcooking.com/pet/sh...attyCathy).jpg

This bunch *are* getting a bit long in the um, tooth <wink> - and we only
have 8 of them left now - so they don't lay every day anymore. And the
fact that it's winter here at the moment drops the egg production even
more; they seem to concentrate on growing more feathers to keep warm than
on producing eggs. Heh. Can't say I blame them.

However, can't say I'm all that sorry about the drop in egg production
either... 5-7 eggs a week (at the moment) is more than enough for my
needs. It might go back to as much as 4-5 eggs a day once spring arrives
again, but I'm not holding my breath. No matter. They also make pretty
good pets and are not as stupid as most people think, so they can stay and
enjoy their 'retirement' in peace (and with full bellies) - they've earned
it ;-)


--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On 6/28/2010 2:37 PM, George wrote:
> On 6/28/2010 12:03 PM, Wilson wrote:
>> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
>>> On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>>>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>>>> a Monday Funny:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Steve
>>>
>>> So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by
>>> weight.
>>>
>>> http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
>> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There
>> are guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
>>
>
> Take a look at 52.618, Table 1
>
> For example a dozen of large eggs must be 24 ounces minimum.

You're conflating classification with packaging. To be a large egg, an
egg must have a certain weight by your table. But nobody buys a pound
of eggs.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:47:21 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:37:36 -0600, graham wrote:
>
>> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:01:03 -0600, graham wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egg_%28...cken_egg_sizes
>>>>
>>>> These tables are important as I usually use UK baking books and a
>>>> large egg
>>>> there is ~equivalent to an X-large in Canada and the US. Graham
>>>
>>> Useful link, thanks. And looking at this I think I can safely assume
>>> that the eggs my chickens are laying at the moment would be termed
>>> "Jumbo" or "Very Large" in several parts of the world :-)
>>>
>> Happy chickens!!
>
>They seem to be; they're probably luckier than some. The breeding farm we
>bought them from (when they were 4 weeks old) also supply the local
>commercial chicken farms where the hens are kept in those tiny little
>cages 24/7 for +/- 2 yrs and then off they go to the pet food factory...
>
>Not our lot. They have a fairly decent hen house to sleep in at night
>(with nesting boxes for laying their eggs) - but also have a nice big yard
>to scratch around in during the day. Of course we feed them layers mash
>and corn - and make sure they always have fresh, clean water to drink.
>
>There's a pic of them on the RFC pets page if you're interested (taken a
>while back):
>
>http://www.recfoodcooking.com/pet/sh...attyCathy).jpg
>
>This bunch *are* getting a bit long in the um, tooth <wink> - and we only
>have 8 of them left now - so they don't lay every day anymore. And the
>fact that it's winter here at the moment drops the egg production even
>more; they seem to concentrate on growing more feathers to keep warm than
>on producing eggs. Heh. Can't say I blame them.
>
>However, can't say I'm all that sorry about the drop in egg production
>either... 5-7 eggs a week (at the moment) is more than enough for my
>needs. It might go back to as much as 4-5 eggs a day once spring arrives
>again, but I'm not holding my breath. No matter. They also make pretty
>good pets and are not as stupid as most people think, so they can stay and
>enjoy their 'retirement' in peace (and with full bellies) - they've earned
>it ;-)

About half my neighbors have chickens. The people across the road
have a small coop with four dark chocolate brown chickens, I guess
more like pets, only they run loose all over the place, even cross the
road and come over here. Around the corner is "Clucking A Way", they
have all kinds of chickens, guinea hens, I don't know what all, they
sell eggs and this year they took in a few rescue llamas. My new
neighbor next door is raising chickens for meat, they have I think
350, they got 50 each shipment one week apart. I guess a lot of
people are into chickens... not my thing.

First batch arrived:
http://i49.tinypic.com/20psi1s.jpg

Almost ready for market:
http://i49.tinypic.com/2cpriuc.jpg

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:17:23 -0400, brooklyn1 wrote:

> About half my neighbors have chickens. The people across the road have
> a small coop with four dark chocolate brown chickens, I guess more like
> pets, only they run loose all over the place, even cross the road and
> come over here. Around the corner is "Clucking A Way", they have all
> kinds of chickens, guinea hens, I don't know what all, they sell eggs
> and this year they took in a few rescue llamas. My new neighbor next
> door is raising chickens for meat, they have I think 350, they got 50
> each shipment one week apart. I guess a lot of people are into
> chickens... not my thing.
>
> First batch arrived:
> http://i49.tinypic.com/20psi1s.jpg

Too cute.
>
> Almost ready for market:
> http://i49.tinypic.com/2cpriuc.jpg

Nice chickens!

But hey, if it's not your thing, I understand.

We don't let our chickens wander off our property for two reasons: 1)
potential predators (wildlife, dogs and even humans) and 2) a lot of our
neighbors do the mini-commercial thing and one of our hens might end up in
one of those yukky coops if "taken prisoner".

Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock or
even domestic pets). The amount of poop they produce never ceases to amaze
me - and their hen house/nesting boxes have to be cleaned out on a (very)
regular basis or you can get all manner of nasty parasites and/or diseases
occurring. We clean out their feeding and water troughs twice a day. Our
chickens have been inoculated against some of the more serious diseases -
but a dirty/contaminated water supply or rotting feed/vegetation can end
up in cases of botulism - which is often fatal.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:59:52 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

>On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:17:23 -0400, brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> About half my neighbors have chickens. The people across the road have
>> a small coop with four dark chocolate brown chickens, I guess more like
>> pets, only they run loose all over the place, even cross the road and
>> come over here. Around the corner is "Clucking A Way", they have all
>> kinds of chickens, guinea hens, I don't know what all, they sell eggs
>> and this year they took in a few rescue llamas. My new neighbor next
>> door is raising chickens for meat, they have I think 350, they got 50
>> each shipment one week apart. I guess a lot of people are into
>> chickens... not my thing.
>>
>> First batch arrived:
>> http://i49.tinypic.com/20psi1s.jpg
>
>Too cute.
>>
>> Almost ready for market:
>> http://i49.tinypic.com/2cpriuc.jpg
>
>Nice chickens!
>
>But hey, if it's not your thing, I understand.
>
>We don't let our chickens wander off our property for two reasons: 1)
>potential predators (wildlife, dogs and even humans) and 2) a lot of our
>neighbors do the mini-commercial thing and one of our hens might end up in
>one of those yukky coops if "taken prisoner".
>
>Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock or
>even domestic pets). The amount of poop they produce never ceases to amaze
>me - and their hen house/nesting boxes have to be cleaned out on a (very)
>regular basis or you can get all manner of nasty parasites and/or diseases
>occurring. We clean out their feeding and water troughs twice a day. Our
>chickens have been inoculated against some of the more serious diseases -
>but a dirty/contaminated water supply or rotting feed/vegetation can end
>up in cases of botulism - which is often fatal.

You convinced me to stick with cleaning three litter pans each day.
LOL

In article >,
Wilson > wrote:

> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
> > On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
> >> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
> >> a Monday Funny:
> >>
> >> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
> >>
> >>
> >> Steve
> >
> > So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by weight.
> >
> > http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There are
> guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.

Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> They seem to be; they're probably luckier than some. The breeding farm we
> bought them from (when they were 4 weeks old) also supply the local
> commercial chicken farms where the hens are kept in those tiny little
> cages 24/7 for +/- 2 yrs and then off they go to the pet food factory...
>
> Not our lot. They have a fairly decent hen house to sleep in at night
> (with nesting boxes for laying their eggs) - but also have a nice big yard
> to scratch around in during the day. Of course we feed them layers mash
> and corn - and make sure they always have fresh, clean water to drink.
>
> There's a pic of them on the RFC pets page if you're interested (taken a
> while back):
>
> http://www.recfoodcooking.com/pet/sh...attyCathy).jpg
>
> This bunch *are* getting a bit long in the um, tooth <wink> - and we only
> have 8 of them left now - so they don't lay every day anymore. And the
> fact that it's winter here at the moment drops the egg production even
> more; they seem to concentrate on growing more feathers to keep warm than
> on producing eggs. Heh. Can't say I blame them.
>
> However, can't say I'm all that sorry about the drop in egg production
> either... 5-7 eggs a week (at the moment) is more than enough for my
> needs. It might go back to as much as 4-5 eggs a day once spring arrives
> again, but I'm not holding my breath. No matter. They also make pretty
> good pets and are not as stupid as most people think, so they can stay and
> enjoy their 'retirement' in peace (and with full bellies) - they've earned
> it ;-)

Dang that is a nice hen house! :-)

I do miss my chickens. Very personable birds and I never killed my
laying hens. They were allowed to go thru henopause and die of old age...

I had an eclective mix of hens. Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, White
and Red Leghorns, Transylvania naked necks, Buff Orpingtons, Cochin
bantams in both straight and frizzled feathers and Japanese Silkies.
Oh, and some "wild" game hen crosses that joined our flock by flying
over the fence. <G> Those resulted in several interesting crossbred hens
as those little buggers were good at hiding nests.

Granted, excess roosters from unplanned hatches did get eaten but I
mostly replaced layers with pre-sexed pullets by mail order or from the
local feed store.

Chickens are fun.

They sing when they are happy. :-)

Ps, we purchased some 2 year old "soup" hens a couple of times from a
local egg ranch. Hens that had lived their entire lives in battery
laying cages. $2.00 each. It was amazing how quickly the adapted to
yard life and even flew up into low tree branches with the rest of the
hens!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock or
> even domestic pets). The amount of poop they produce never ceases to amaze
> me - and their hen house/nesting boxes have to be cleaned out on a (very)
> regular basis or you can get all manner of nasty parasites and/or diseases
> occurring. We clean out their feeding and water troughs twice a day. Our
> chickens have been inoculated against some of the more serious diseases -
> but a dirty/contaminated water supply or rotting feed/vegetation can end
> up in cases of botulism - which is often fatal.
>
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

The worst problem I had around here was raccoons and possums.
Locking the hens in to a secure henhouse every night (or building a Fort
Knox enclosed chicken run) would protect them for the most part, but
finding a headless hen in the AM is no fun. :-(

Box traps work.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:49:44 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

> Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.

But in order to qualify as a particular size they need to fit within
certain weight parameters.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:04:17 -0500, Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> ChattyCathy > wrote:
>
>> Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock
>> or even domestic pets).
>
> The worst problem I had around here was raccoons and possums. Locking
> the hens in to a secure henhouse every night (or building a Fort Knox
> enclosed chicken run) would protect them for the most part, but finding
> a headless hen in the AM is no fun. :-(
>
Yup. A mongoose (probably with youngsters of its own to feed) was our
problem. Before we had the hen house "secured" it got 7 of the youngsters
when they 5-6 weeks old. Anyway, if/when we start over with another bunch
of 4-week old chicks (probably once the older ladies have all gone to
Chicken Heaven) we should be OK.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:49:44 -0500, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> Wilson > wrote:
>
>> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
>> > On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>> >> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>> >> a Monday Funny:
>> >>
>> >> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Steve
>> >
>> > So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by weight.
>> >
>> > http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
>> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There are
>> guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
>
>Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.

In the US you've always paid for commercially packaged eggs by
weight... when you buy eggs by size you are actually buying by
weight... eggs are sized by weighing.

When purchasing eggs it's a good idea to pay attention to your math,
calculate and compare the price of each size egg by weight... I often
find the smaller size eggs are the best buy... I can usually find
peewee eggs on sale in three dozen packs for $1.50. The largest size
eggs are more convenient but are typically not the most economical.

http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-fac...pedia/b/buying

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:49:44 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> > Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.
>
> But in order to qualify as a particular size they need to fit within
> certain weight parameters.

Yes, I saw that later in the thread. Sorry!

I think tho' that the point was that we still purchase them by count,
but do pay a slightly higher price for larger eggs.

I guess it's sort of a mixed pricing system.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:04:17 -0500, Omelet wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > ChattyCathy > wrote:
> >
> >> Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock
> >> or even domestic pets).
> >
> > The worst problem I had around here was raccoons and possums. Locking
> > the hens in to a secure henhouse every night (or building a Fort Knox
> > enclosed chicken run) would protect them for the most part, but finding
> > a headless hen in the AM is no fun. :-(
> >
> Yup. A mongoose (probably with youngsters of its own to feed) was our
> problem. Before we had the hen house "secured" it got 7 of the youngsters
> when they 5-6 weeks old. Anyway, if/when we start over with another bunch
> of 4-week old chicks (probably once the older ladies have all gone to
> Chicken Heaven) we should be OK.

I'd start with a few depending on the age of your girls. They tend to
start really dying off at 5 to 7 years and it takes 6 months for the new
kids to start laying. :-) So long as you can only purchase a few
chicks? If I mail ordered, I'd split orders with others as there were
minimums to keep the chicks warm enough in the shipping crates

If I was able to purchase at the feed store, I could get as few pullets
as I wanted and I could place requests. I was amused when they got
annoyed after I'd requested a shipment of Transylvania naked neck
pullets and only purchased 12 out of the shipment as they were concerned
that others might not purchase them, but all the chicks were gone in
only 3 days. <g> And they ended up purchasing a second larger shipment
due to further requests!

They might be ugly to some people, but I like them. :-)
Real talkers, hardy, and decent layers of light brown eggs.
Smart too and heat tolerant due to the reduced feathering.

Are those leghorns you have in that pic? I noted that one has red
freckles so wonder if she is a crossbreed?

I empathize with your predator issue. It's one of the most discussed
topics on some of the poultry lists. Chickens are so vulnerable!
Especially at night. :-(
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
brooklyn1 > wrote:

> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:49:44 -0500, Omelet >
> wrote:
>
> >In article >,
> > Wilson > wrote:
> >
> >> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
> >> > On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
> >> >> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
> >> >> a Monday Funny:
> >> >>
> >> >> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> Steve
> >> >
> >> > So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by
> >> > weight.
> >> >
> >> > http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
> >> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There
> >> are
> >> guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
> >
> >Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.
>
> In the US you've always paid for commercially packaged eggs by
> weight... when you buy eggs by size you are actually buying by
> weight... eggs are sized by weighing.
>
> When purchasing eggs it's a good idea to pay attention to your math,
> calculate and compare the price of each size egg by weight... I often
> find the smaller size eggs are the best buy... I can usually find
> peewee eggs on sale in three dozen packs for $1.50. The largest size
> eggs are more convenient but are typically not the most economical.
>
> http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-fac...pedia/b/buying

Actually, if worried about cost (eggs are one of the cheapest sources of
protein), I can hit the local egg ranch and purchase "checks". Eggs that
are not bad enough to toss into their pig buckets, but not quite right
for cartoning for commercial sales.

I'd have to get there early when they are doing egg sorting as the local
restaurants beat me to them when I used to actually bother to drive out
to Zorn. ;-)

The Zorn egg ranch raises egg fed pigs for their family's personal
consumption.

Dad and I consume, at most, 2 to 3 eggs per day each and some days none.
If I am making deviled eggs or an egg dish, then I'll use more of them.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

In article >,
"gloria.p" > wrote:

> Steve Pope wrote:
>
> >
>
> > I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size
> > eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
> > "extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.
> >
> >
>
>
> Mom & pop egg sellers do not have the luxury of providing eggs that are
> uniform size because they just don't get enough eggs per week to grade
> them by size. I do hope that they are candled to check for insemenation
> unless you want to experience balut. :-P
>
> The egg cartons are probably saved for them by friends and relatives
> for reuse. We used to save them for a friend with a small operation.
>
> gloria p

I still save egg cartons, even tho' I don't have my birds any more. When
the stack gets high enough, I post to my local freecycle. ;-)

Keeping crap out of the landfills, one container at a time.... It adds
up.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 01:11:54 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> I totally agree. but IMO, if you know what the total weight of the
> eggs should be, it shouldn't matter what size eggs you use as long as
> the total weight is the same.

A batch of random eggs can be weighed like meat. Meat may be priced
by the pound, but we pay for fractions of a pound. We don't bring egg
baskets with us shopping so it's easier for us to buy them packaged,
presorted and graded.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 04:13:14 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
> wrote:

> Mom used to serve broiled peach halves with a fried chicken dinner.
> I have both broiled and grilled them, and actually prefer them
> grilled, but we were out of propane.

This was the indoor grill pan, which is a very good substitute now
that we have a gas stove.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:39:26 -0600, gloria.p wrote:

> Steve Pope wrote:
>
>> I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size
>> eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
>> "extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.


> Mom & pop egg sellers do not have the luxury of providing eggs that are
> uniform size because they just don't get enough eggs per week to grade
> them by size. I do hope that they are candled to check for insemenation
> unless you want to experience balut. :-P

No roosters here, so unless the hens get inseminated by wind pollination,
we don't have to worry about balut. ;-)


> The egg cartons are probably saved for them by friends and relatives for
> reuse. We used to save them for a friend with a small operation.


Too hit-one-miss-one-skip-one to rely on that in my case.... At one stage
we had 14 hens and they were *all* laying an egg a day each. So I just buy
(new) egg cartons (that hold a dozen eggs each) from one of the local
feed-stores - they come in packages of 200 and they're not really that
expensive. I'm on my third package.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:03:41 -0500, Omelet wrote:

<talking about chickens/eggs>
>
> I'd start with a few depending on the age of your girls. They tend to
> start really dying off at 5 to 7 years and it takes 6 months for the new
> kids to start laying. :-)

Yeah, I know this. And pullet eggs are cute as well as tasty. The hens we
have left are around 4 y/o now, so unless anything untoward happens they
should last a year or two more...

> So long as you can only purchase a few chicks? If I mail ordered, I'd
> split orders with others as there were minimums to keep the chicks warm
> enough in the shipping crates

If one wants layers there's really only one breeder farm that supplies
"good layers" in our province. And this breeder sells them in batches of
25 - minimum.

Thing is, having another 20-odd hens will produce even more eggs than I
know what to do with, (heck the 14 layers we had at one point was bad
enough) but still not enough to supply a farmers' market or some such. And
I don't have anybody else to "share" an order with because all the
"chicken people" we know order much more than that at a time themselves.

Anyway, we'll make a decision one way or the other come spring; if the
"old ladies" go back to laying 4-5 eggs a day between them then we'll
probably wait another 6 months, or even a year.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:59:55 -0500, Omelet wrote:


> Ps, we purchased some 2 year old "soup" hens a couple of times from a
> local egg ranch. Hens that had lived their entire lives in battery
> laying cages. $2.00 each. It was amazing how quickly the adapted to
> yard life and even flew up into low tree branches with the rest of the
> hens!

Yeah, you can't breed "instinct" out of them, it would seem. That's how we
started out - with two "rescued" hens from some chicken farm. One of them
died within 6 months of old age but the other old lady lasted for about
another 18 months - happily scratching around the yard, taking dust baths
and enjoying the mash we gave her ;-) And right up until about 3 months
before she died she still produced a couple of eggs a week.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:48:56 +0200, ChattyCathy
> > wrote:
>
>> However, I do keep the odd eye out on the prices for eggs sold in the
>> supermarkets (who have to abide by the "rules and regulations"), and
>> the other day I saw some eggs marked as "extra-large" in one of our local
>> stupid markets; label had 59g ea on it. The eggs my chickens lay are
>> generally heavier than that (I just weighed 3 of them - and they were
>> approx. 90g ea on my kitchen scale). They just "look" much bigger in
>> comparison too. So these might qualify to be "Jumbo" eggs - dunno.
>
> I can recall ever seeing AA Jumbo's, don't even know if they exist.
> The jumbo's I notice are A. Maybe restaurants use the bulk of AA, so
> we don't get them in the grocery store. Dunno. I buy AA extra large.

Ewwwwwwwwww think of the poor chickens.......
--
--
https://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/

On 06/28/10 7:14 PM, sometime in the recent past brooklyn1 posted this:
> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:49:44 -0500, >
> wrote:
>
>> In >,
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> On 06/28/10 11:30 AM, sometime in the recent past George posted this:
>>>> On 6/28/2010 10:49 AM, Steve Pope wrote:
>>>>> This could be more B.S. but I thought it might serve as
>>>>> a Monday Funny:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.birdsontheblog.co.uk/more...from-brussels/
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Steve
>>>>
>>>> So what part is unusual? At least in the US we already buy eggs by weight.
>>>>
>>>> http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getf...STELDEV3004376
>>> Hmmn? I've never bought eggs by the ounce or pound here in the US. There are
>>> guidelines for size, but that's all I've seen.
>>
>> Same here. I've yet to ever pay by weight for eggs.
>
> In the US you've always paid for commercially packaged eggs by
> weight... when you buy eggs by size you are actually buying by
> weight... eggs are sized by weighing.
Eggsactly, sort of like how we've always bought our cars by weight,
full-sized, mid-sized, compact, sub-compact - right?
>
> When purchasing eggs it's a good idea to pay attention to your math,
> calculate and compare the price of each size egg by weight... I often
> find the smaller size eggs are the best buy... I can usually find
> peewee eggs on sale in three dozen packs for $1.50. The largest size
> eggs are more convenient but are typically not the most economical.
>
> http://www.incredibleegg.org/egg-fac...pedia/b/buying
>


--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3

On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:08:28 -0700, sf wrote:

> I can recall ever seeing AA Jumbo's, don't even know if they exist. The
> jumbo's I notice are A. Maybe restaurants use the bulk of AA, so we
> don't get them in the grocery store. Dunno. I buy AA extra large.

Looking at the link gloria posted from the American Egg Board, I'd also
say that most (not all) of the "Jumbo" eggs our chickens lay would be
considered AA grade, because the yolks are nice and big and high, not to
mention a nice dark yellow in color - and the whites spread out very
little when breaking them into a pan. Are the eggs you usually buy fresh
"free-range" (or not)? IMHO, that *might* also have something to do with
it.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

On 6/28/2010 8:03 PM, Omelet wrote:
> In >,
> > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:04:17 -0500, Omelet wrote:
>>
>>> In >,
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Keeping chickens isn't all fun, all of the time (as with any livestock
>>>> or even domestic pets).
>>>
>>> The worst problem I had around here was raccoons and possums. Locking
>>> the hens in to a secure henhouse every night (or building a Fort Knox
>>> enclosed chicken run) would protect them for the most part, but finding
>>> a headless hen in the AM is no fun. :-(
>>>
>> Yup. A mongoose (probably with youngsters of its own to feed) was our
>> problem. Before we had the hen house "secured" it got 7 of the youngsters
>> when they 5-6 weeks old. Anyway, if/when we start over with another bunch
>> of 4-week old chicks (probably once the older ladies have all gone to
>> Chicken Heaven) we should be OK.
>
> I'd start with a few depending on the age of your girls. They tend to
> start really dying off at 5 to 7 years and it takes 6 months for the new
> kids to start laying. :-) So long as you can only purchase a few
> chicks? If I mail ordered, I'd split orders with others as there were
> minimums to keep the chicks warm enough in the shipping crates
>
> If I was able to purchase at the feed store, I could get as few pullets
> as I wanted and I could place requests. I was amused when they got
> annoyed after I'd requested a shipment of Transylvania naked neck
> pullets and only purchased 12 out of the shipment as they were concerned
> that others might not purchase them, but all the chicks were gone in
> only 3 days.<g> And they ended up purchasing a second larger shipment
> due to further requests!
>
> They might be ugly to some people, but I like them. :-)
> Real talkers, hardy, and decent layers of light brown eggs.
> Smart too and heat tolerant due to the reduced feathering.
>
> Are those leghorns you have in that pic? I noted that one has red
> freckles so wonder if she is a crossbreed?
>
> I empathize with your predator issue. It's one of the most discussed
> topics on some of the poultry lists. Chickens are so vulnerable!
> Especially at night. :-(

One dark night I heard the chickens screaming for help. Ran out to the
hen house with the 12 gauge Winchester Model 12, cocked and unlocked.
Opened the door, stepped in and heard a horrendous noise. Glanced up and
there was the boar possum that ate Cleveland, standing on a rafter.
Flinched and pulled the trigger, shot a hole in the hen house roof,
scared the poop out of the possum and embarrassed myself. Forever after
I kept the safety on until I saw what I was going to shoot.

I don't miss having chickens, pigs, goats, cows, and all the other
critters we took care of and ate back in the sixties and seventies.
Nowadays I just go to the local grocer.

On 6/28/2010 8:39 PM, gloria.p wrote:
> Steve Pope wrote:
>
>>
>
>> I buy eggs from farmers markets, where the vendors sell random-size
>> eggs to you in randomly-selected used eggcartons that may say "medium",
>> "extra large" or whatever but it is meaningless.
>>
>>
>
>
> Mom & pop egg sellers do not have the luxury of providing eggs that are
> uniform size because they just don't get enough eggs per week to grade
> them by size. I do hope that they are candled to check for insemenation
> unless you want to experience balut. :-P

Actually they become somewhat infertile when refrigerated. We always had
roosters with our hens and all the eggs we gathered were fertile, we
incubated or let the hens get broody and sit on them if we wanted to
increase the fryer crop, otherwise they went into the fridge for eating
or selling.

>
> The egg cartons are probably saved for them by friends and relatives
> for reuse. We used to save them for a friend with a small operation.
>
> gloria p

We used to save them as my dear wife, the art teacher, took them to
school and used them to make paper mache for the kids to do art with.
The styrofoam ones became water color paint wells to save the paltry
funds the school system gives art teachers for things that were more
badly needed.