Raising Chickens! Yikes!

[Hala401]

I was raised on a farm until I was 10, and then my Husband and I had a small farm for 5 years, and both times we had farm animals.

Now, over 30 years later, my roomates got chickens, but no rooster, and we have been getting about 3 eggs a day from 4 chickens! I am surprised that a chicken can lay close to an egg a day!

So, we have had them a couple weeks and the taste of a real egg, rather than those other kind, is well, really different. Wow! So, today I decided to make french toast and one of the eggs had a spot of red stuff in it! I don't even want to think of what that could be! Being very against abortion, the idea just makes me feel icky.

So, I used a lot of cinnamon to get my mind off IT! And now, sitting here eating my french toast ... not sure I can finish it.

Can someone tell me how THAT could happen to the egg with no rooster? We have no rooster. Did I just kill a baby chicken? How was I to know?

I don't know if I can eat another egg, EVER !

[Wingnut]

Every 28(ish) days, an adult female human produces one egg -- sometimes two. If it it not fertilized by sperm from an adult male human, it will never become a little human. Never ever ever. It is expelled by the body in a gross mix of blood and other bodily fluids. A hen's egg is much the same -- without fertilization from a male rooster, it will never ever ever become a baby chick. It shouldn't be surprising that there was a little touch of blood in it.

[Wingnut]

(Not sure if it helps with the "ewww" factor that I just pointed out that eating eggs is basically eating a chicken's period.)

[pam]

(Not sure if it helps with the "ewww" factor that I just pointed out that eating eggs is basically eating a chicken's period.)

I could have gone all day..possibly all year without reading that.

[Hala401]

(Not sure if it helps with the "ewww" factor that I just pointed out that eating eggs is basically eating a chicken's period.)

Ewwwww!!!

[NeuroTypical]

Hala, can I just say that I really look forward to reading your posts? You are a breath of fresh air, and you bring up such different but relevant subjects.

Short response: I think you're fine. No rooster = no abortion.

Long response: I thought many of the things you are thinking at one time, but without being triggered by blood. As I was keeping a daily diet log, it dawned on me that on one day, no fewer than four different critters had to die so I could eat what I did. It made me reflect on where our food came from, and it reinforced something that I already knew - we humans are given stewardship over the earth and everything that lives on it - and we WILL be held accountable as individuals for how we have used that stewardship.

As a result of this experience, I did several things:

* I went hunting, so I could see firsthand what I had always paid someone else to do for me - kill a living animal.

* I gained a very healthy respect for how the notion of halal in Islam expressed itself in dhabiha slaughter (and how there are some notable similarities with the jewish shechita slaughter, and even some similarities with the word of wisdom).

* I started tracking my food back to the source, and decided that a handful of things were no longer on my menu, like veal, due to how the animals were treated.

My hunting experience was very powerful and singular. I'm not sure if you ever did any slaughtering when you lived on farms, but if not, I recommend the experience. Nothing did as much to help me foster the proper attitude and respect for the whole process of eating things that used to be alive. That experience resolved things for me - I'm no longer a clueless person hiding from guilt behind walls of denial about killing animals. I'm a steward of the earth, and through God's design, feeding my family sometimes means animals die.

[BenRaines]

Eggs that are mass produced are "candled" it is the process of passing an egg in front of a bright light. Usually if the egg has blood in it the blood will show up and those eggs are discarded. That is why you do not often find them in the eggs you buy in the store. It is not common but does happen. You can do the same with the eggs produced by your chickens. Hold the eggs close to a lit light bulb and look through the eggshell. Something interesting to try.

Ben Raines

[dahlia]

(Not sure if it helps with the "ewww" factor that I just pointed out that eating eggs is basically eating a chicken's period.)

That's a common statement made by militant vegans in an attempt to gross people out of eating eggs. I was vegan for 3 yrs and you should read some of the stuff they write, none of which would make a thinking, ethical being become a vegan. I'm surprised to see it on a non-vegan board; I didn't think other people thought that way.

[Dravin]

That's a common statement made by militant vegans in an attempt to gross people out of eating eggs.

I highly doubt Wingnut was trying to convince anyone to become a vegan by stating the poultry equivalent of "Honey is bee vomit!" Heck, I'll use that phrasing fairly often, but it's to make people squirm a little not to convince them to become vegans. Also fun is pointing out FDA acceptable contaminates in various foods, but if I point out cranberry sauce is allowed to contain mold it's to tease them not get them to forswear cranberry sauce. *shrug*

I'm surprised to see it on a non-vegan board; I didn't think other people thought that way.

What thinking? The understanding of the biological function of a chicken's egg albeit phrased in an unappetizing manner? Or the idea that, "I can phrase something you eat in an 'icky' manner and you should therefore avoid all animal products (aka be vegan)?" I've seen the former demonstrated in the thread not so much the latter.

Sometimes people have a dietary agenda, sometimes they're just messin' with ya.

Being very against abortion, the idea just makes me feel icky.

Why does it matter if you eat the chicken 21 days before it hatches, 1 day after it hatches, or 12 weeks after it hatches? Ignoring culinary distinctions of course, and possible efficiency and nutritional aspects. As pointed out, no rooster, no fertilization, but even if there was fertilization If you've deemed it moral to eat the chicken after it hatched why would it be an issue to eat it before it hatched? It's not like the issue with abortion is we're not waiting a couple months to years until after a child is born to kill it.

Now, eating a half formed chicken from the shell being icky because of cultural bias (or religious reasons) about what is proper food I can fully understand. For instance trying to eat Balut (egg) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia would probably result in some gastrointestinal gymnastics assuming you could even convince me to try it but not because of any moral issues with the practice.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Dravin

[Vort]

(Not sure if it helps with the "ewww" factor that I just pointed out that eating eggs is basically eating a chicken's period.)

Just to be clear: Menstruation is a characteristic of placental mammals. Birds, along with non-placental mammals (monotremes and marsupials), reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, do not have periods.

[Guest]

Now, eating a half formed chicken from the shell being icky because of cultural bias (or religious reasons) about what is proper food I can fully understand. For instance trying to eat Balut (egg) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia would probably result in some gastrointestinal gymnastics assuming you could even convince me to try it but not because of any moral issues with the practice.

Watcha talking about? BALUT IS SUPER YUMMY!

Okay, the standard balut is from duck. If you get the 16-day balut, it's just like regular egg except you get the yolk in 2 parts - one part is just like regular egg and the other part is a lot more dense. It's super yum. If you get the 18-day one you'll get more cartilige-y stuff. The 19 to 21-day balut is the most common and this is where you get the crunch. Duck eggs hatch at around day 28.

There's a trick to eating it. First you have to know how to find the "bubble". Usually, this is the pointy side of the egg, but you can make sure by tapping on the egg to find the hollow sound. So then you tap it with a spoon or right on the table to crack the shell and peel a little to form a small hole. You then drop a little bit of salt in the hole, shake the egg some, then turn it upside down towards your mouth to get all the yummy juice. Then you peel the whole egg, eat the entire yolk in one bite, then eat the white (if you like - the 21-day balut has a very tough white section and it can be hard on the jaw so some people don't bother eating it). Chase it with Royal Tru-Orange... YUM!

[Hala401]

That's a common statement made by militant vegans in an attempt to gross people out of eating eggs. I was vegan for 3 yrs and you should read some of the stuff they write, none of which would make a thinking, ethical being become a vegan. I'm surprised to see it on a non-vegan board; I didn't think other people thought that way.

LOL, I think he was just trying to gross me out.

Truth, we sold the farm in 1979, so I have not had a real egg since, and these eggs we are getting are REAL for sure. The flavor is shouted out by the yolk, and when I saw the red stuff, I wondered how it was that I can not remember ever seeing it before.

I wonder if that is why Mom always opened the eggs into a cup?

:)

Hala

[Dravin]

Watcha talking about? BALUT IS SUPER YUMMY!

I must admit I'd rather eat balut than Hákarl or Surströmming. At least Balut is fresh (of course freshness isn't everything, just consider what cheese and yogurt are).

Edited May 22, 2012 by Dravin

[White_Deer]

The red spot is just a little bit of blood from the hen. It is not fertile at all because there are no roosters. Anytime you find blood spots in an egg it is just because there was a slight mistake during the egg making process. This becomes more common as hens age, but there is nothing wrong with it and they are still edible.

[White_Deer]

Eggs that are mass produced are "candled" it is the process of passing an egg in front of a bright light. Usually if the egg has blood in it the blood will show up and those eggs are discarded. That is why you do not often find them in the eggs you buy in the store. It is not common but does happen. You can do the same with the eggs produced by your chickens. Hold the eggs close to a lit light bulb and look through the eggshell. Something interesting to try.

Ben Raines

For the record the eggs are not discarded, they simply aren't sold in the shell. They are used in processed foods such a cookies/cake/etc where appearance isn't important. It would be a huge waste and economic disaster for farmers if we threw out every egg with a blood spot lol.

[Guest]

Now, in the Philippines, there's this thing called dinuguan... that my husband calls blood pudding.

YUM!!!

[Dravin]

If the intestines are cleaned well enough that they aren't, as Andrew Zimmerman calls them, 'barn yardy', I'd give that a try. Might even like it. Blood puddings (or more generally blood dishes, that doesn't look like a pudding) don't create a mental 'ick' reaction for me.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Dravin

[annewandering]

ok this is wrong. A chicken can lay a fertile egg with no rooster. How? Well I forgot the name but it does happen and more often in chickens than many other animals. Will find a reference in a minute.

When I get an egg with red I just cut it out. We are omnivorous by birth and it is part of our nature to eat meat. No reason to be grossed out about our own natures.

This link explains why the red is not a fertilized egg.

Interesting Facts About Chickens: Are All Eggs Fertilized?

ok here is an article on parthenogenesis: Parthenogenesis: Embryonic development in unfertilized eggs may impact normal fertilization and embryonic mortality - Poultry Articles from The Poultry Site

Edited May 22, 2012 by annewandering

[Wingnut]

That's a common statement made by militant vegans in an attempt to gross people out of eating eggs. I was vegan for 3 yrs and you should read some of the stuff they write, none of which would make a thinking, ethical being become a vegan. I'm surprised to see it on a non-vegan board; I didn't think other people thought that way.

I'm not even vegetarian much less vegan. I've actually never heard that argument before. I only made the statement as a somewhat humorous commentary.

Just to be clear: Menstruation is a characteristic of placental mammals. Birds, along with non-placental mammals (monotremes and marsupials), reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, do not have periods.

The comparison still works.

LOL, I think he was just trying to gross me out.

She.

[Guest]

ok this is wrong. A chicken can lay a fertile egg with no rooster. How? Well I forgot the name but it does happen and more often in chickens than many other animals. Will find a reference in a minute.

When I get an egg with red I just cut it out. We are omnivorous by birth and it is part of our nature to eat meat. No reason to be grossed out about our own natures.

This link explains why the red is not a fertilized egg.

Interesting Facts About Chickens: Are All Eggs Fertilized?

ok here is an article on parthenogenesis: Parthenogenesis: Embryonic development in unfertilized eggs may impact normal fertilization and embryonic mortality - Poultry Articles from The Poultry Site

I know of a female ball python that was never exposed to a male in her life, laid eggs, and produced baby ball pythons. The babies are thought to be clones of the mother. Quite an interesting phenomenon.

Here's the link: Unexpected Eggs

Edited May 22, 2012 by anatess

[ClickyClack]

Here's the "Straight Dope" answer.

[Hala401]

So, I need some sage advice figuring this out. Tonight we are speaking about the performance of the chickens and Hindi mentioned that chickens were omnivores. I was gonna throw them some small potatoes that had started to sprout and get soft and she said they needed to be cooked. Hmmm I wonder who cooked for them before? Do you think the Pilgrims cooked the chicken's food?

Is there record of it in Mormon Annals?

I promise that neither of us was drinking intoxicans or weed. I promised to obey the prophet and I know she had not had time yet.

So then we started talking about what an Omnivore was and I mentioned that for a while when I was little, we had some black and white pigs and my step father fell into the pen and cut himself with a machete doing it. I was quite little and did not see it but everyone said that the pigs tried to eat him. I guess pigs are omnivores also?

After that we had white pigs and they were nicer. I do not know where the black and white ones went.

So then we started talking about chickens again and then she thought about the fact that Humans are generally omnivores, except those who are not. Curious that.

Then she said she always wondered how humans tasted and I told her I had no idea but I had heard that we are not really tasty. Apparently we are tough and stringy.

Does anyone know?

This all while cooking dinner.

[Iggy]

So, I need some sage advice figuring this out. Tonight we are speaking about the performance of the chickens and Hindi mentioned that chickens were omnivores. I was gonna throw them some small potatoes that had started to sprout and get soft and she said they needed to be cooked. Hmmm I wonder who cooked for them before? Do you think the Pilgrims cooked the chicken's food?

Is there record of it in Mormon Annals?

I promise that neither of us was drinking intoxicans or weed. I promised to obey the prophet and I know she had not had time yet.

So then we started talking about what an Omnivore was and I mentioned that for a while when I was little, we had some black and white pigs and my step father fell into the pen and cut himself with a machete doing it. I was quite little and did not see it but everyone said that the pigs tried to eat him. I guess pigs are omnivores also?

After that we had white pigs and they were nicer. I do not know where the black and white ones went.

So then we started talking about chickens again and then she thought about the fact that Humans are generally omnivores, except those who are not. Curious that.

Then she said she always wondered how humans tasted and I told her I had no idea but I had heard that we are not really tasty. Apparently we are tough and stringy.

Does anyone know?

This all while cooking dinner.

After a quick search, this is what I found:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Will_chickens_eat_raw_potatoes

Yes they will however you must peel them...raw potato peel is not good for chickens as it contains solanine which is toxic to chickens. Potatoes are part of the nightshade family of plants. If you wish to feed peeling to the birds as a treat with other kitchen scraps you must cook the peels first.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Will_chickens_eat_raw_potatoes#ixzz1vkdQNs6T

Bolding is mine.

[Guest]

So, I need some sage advice figuring this out. Tonight we are speaking about the performance of the chickens and Hindi mentioned that chickens were omnivores. I was gonna throw them some small potatoes that had started to sprout and get soft and she said they needed to be cooked. Hmmm I wonder who cooked for them before? Do you think the Pilgrims cooked the chicken's food?

Okay, chickens in their natural state do not eat potatoes... they won't dig potatoes out of the ground. So, they didn't have to peel it or cook it before eating it. But, if we want to give a chicken a potato, then we kinda have to make it "chicken safe". :)

[Guest]

A vegetarian is someone who eats nothing but vegetables.

A humanitarian is someone who eats nothing but.... humans?