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too many eggs
I only have 5 chickens, but I am getting way to many eggs, at least 6 to 8 a day.
I have pickled a bunch and given some away to family /friends, I have about 5 dozen in the fridge, anyone have any storage ideas? |
Re: too many eggs
Crack the eggs, beat them like you were going to make scrambled eggs, and store them in an air-tight container in your freezer (preferably a deep-freeze without a defrost cycle) for up to a year.
I found that recommendation here: http://greenliving.suite101.com/arti...h_chicken_eggs There is some mention of old methods of preserving eggs that were formerly recommended by the USDA and Purdue University. They've fallen out of favor due to the prevalence of refrigeration, but I'm sure they still work. The eggs were stored in crocks in water mixed with sodium silicate or lime, apparently. There's no detail on the methods at the link above, but I'm sure you can find out more by googling. Oh - and might I suggest killing a couple of the older hens and eating them? Assuming they are not pets, that is. That should help reduce your daily egg count. Fried chicken! Yum yum. Or if they are old birds, maybe Coq au Vin. But with hen instead of rooster. |
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Give them away. Friends, family and neighbors....
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We have the same problem. We just eat more, not just for breakfast, we crack a couple scrambled eggs into almost anything we prepare. You wont even notice that they are there.
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Quiche is delicious too, and uses quite a few. We always had grateful takers for our extras though, they taste so good compared to store eggs.
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http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_eggs_spoil_unrefrigerated Just my two cents, don't kill your chickens just because they're laying more eggs than you can eat. Keep the chickens and give the eggs away. I'd think it'd normally be inadvisable to kill a productive animal, because it's better to have "too much" of something than not enough. |
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Advocat
12 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups brandy 1 tsp. vanilla 1 pint heavy whipping cream In a bowl beat 12 egg yolks until they are frothy. Beat in sugar until the mixture is thick and golden. Transfer mixture to the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add brandy and vanilla whisk til thoroughly blended. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. Beat whipping cream until it holds it's shape. (Save a bit for garnish if you wish.) Fold into egg mixture. Add dollop of cream and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Advocat on wikipedia |
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Make noodles. I've stored homemade noodles for 5 years in my basement and they were just as good at 5 years as they were when they were fresh. All you need is flour and a rolling pin.
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I asked the store manager about it cause I was just a punk kid and thought it wasn't right, he told me they can go two weeks w/o a refigerator, and the only reason they put them in a fridge on the floor was because people didn't know any better... No idea if he was right/wrong/etc but thats what he told me, granted I still stick our eggs in the fridge... |
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get a few more chickens and start selling the eggs.
that's what my folks do. they have about 30 chickens and sell of to ppl willing to pay 3 bucks a dozen for organic farm fresh eggs. they don't get rich off it, but it pays for the chickens plus a little bit, and they have plenty of eggs for friends and family. any extras i would suggest storing them on the cars of your local politicians. they can last for a good long time if they are properly applied to the paint... |
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that time of year for the pickled egg thread to come back
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Have you talked to the owner of your local farmers market? Maybe trade a few dozen for some fresh veggies? Plus this is a good way to get to know the owner of the market, which may come in handy in a SHTF scenerio...:ok::ok:
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I would not kill the hen that laid the extra egg. They will slow down and then you will miss her. If you can't give them away fast enough, you don't know enough hard up people.
You can boil them up, let them cool and then mash them up so they don't look like eggs, and feed them back to the hens. |
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You can coat the egg shell in vaseline and get significantly longer life out of the eggs.
http://chestofbooks.com/reference/He...n-of-Eggs.html |
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scramble them and feed back to hens
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Is Glenn Beck coming to town?
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Chickens often don't even lay for two days in a row. There will usually take a day off in between. You might see a common pattern of laying for two days or three days straight, but then they will take a day or two off. Is it possible that you are not collecting every day or some are hiding and it is making you to think that they are laying more than one a day? It is just not physically possible for you to get that many eggs from that many birds. |
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OR Friends and family keep wondering why the hell some of the spots in the egg cartons the OP gives them have approximately egg sized rocks in them... OR there's some unsanctioned late night hen parties that the neighbors hens join in on at night. Perhaps your roost has a popular cock? |
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I second the whipping and freezing. Still, that's a near term solution. I've also made a number of quiches (?) and froze them. Reheated fine, though the crust suffered. Have omelettes for supper.
Giving eggs away makes for tremendous goodwill. Sometimes I wonder if I've kept my job here because I give out multicolored eggs. Not kidding. God, fresh eggs are the best. Like chicken-made butter. Wow. My hens are prima donnas and bitc* at me regularly. Not kidding. Something about "the lifestyle to which they are accustomed" or some nonsense. |
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It's good protien for your dogs and cats. We mix one scrambled egg, one hot dog (fat for their coats) and a hand full of cooked rice into a pan that gets a pat of butter (again, fat for their coats) and heat it all up. Mix it in their food and good to go. That's split into three bowls for three dogs into their dry food.
They ONLY get dry food. Very low fat content on purpose. We would rather CONTROL the fat they get rather than let some company 'add it' into the food. Hope that helps. |
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What Banjo said, Give them to neighbors. When TSHTF good neighbors will be worth more than gold.
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Anyone in your area that would appreciate some free eggs? Maybe a single mom with kids that is struggling? Neighbors that have lost their job recently?
That or sell them. I like eggs and have a big appetite so I would just eat them all. I would probably eat a dozen a day if cost was not an issue. (I usually buy organic eggs) |
Re: too many eggs
How To Store Fresh Eggs Without Refrigeration
http://www.greatdreams.com/egg-storage.htm At the end of this page, you will find the USDA information on storing eggs with Liquid Sodium Silicate, known sometimes as the brand name, K-Peg. This is highly informative and very important if you are going to use this product to store eggs. Have you ever wondered how your great-grandparents stored eggs? Perhaps they didn't, perhaps they used only fresh eggs. But many folks regularly stored their eggs and used them throughout the winter months. Chickens normally respond to daylight by laying more eggs. Oppositely, when there is little daylight, there are fewer eggs layed. So in the winter when days are shorter, it's good to be able to depend on a fresh egg supply. There are two ways that I know of to store eggs without refrigeration. They both require cool temperatures, however. A cellar, cool basement or cool room in the house will suffice. The cooler the better the chance that your eggs will last longer. The first method is to coat the eggs with a non-toxic substance, sealing the pores in the shell and thereby sealing out oxygen and moisture. When oxygen is present, many bacteria can grow, thus spoiled eggs. To use lard or shortening to coat the eggs, first melt the grease and cool it til it begins to solidify again. Dip each egg in the melted grease individually and set them on a paper towel to dry. When the shortening or lard is dry on the eggs, rub the eggs with a clean towel, removing excess solid grease. Rub gently and buff each egg. Now repeat the process, before the shortening solidifies. Work fast, allowing the shortening to get almost solid before re-heating it. Line the bottom of a flat box with a clean soft towel. Place the eggs in the box in a single layer. Cover the box with either a lid or another towel. Place the box of eggs in a cool, dry environment. Eggs prepared this way will last up to 6 months, although I have heard people say that they have kept eggs this way for 1 year if they are kept very cool. A product used to coat eggs in this way, but that is supposed to keep the eggs fresh longer is K-Peg. The eggs are coated with this product much the same way they would be coated with the shortening, and prepared for storage the same way. The other way to keep eggs works on the same principle, cover the pores and keep the eggs cool. However, the eggs must be kept immersed in a solution of Liquid Sodium Silicate. It is usually mixed with sterilie water. Liquid Sodium Silicate is a non-toxic substance that will cover the pores of the egg shell so well that you will probably be able to keep fresh eggs for up tp 2 years! You can buy it as Sodium Silicate Solution at any pharmacy, however they may not have it on hand and have to order it for you. Again, you will have to keep the temperatures very cool and the humidity low. Place clean fresh eggs in a ceramic crock, one layer deep. Pour liquid sodium silicate over the eggs until the eggs are covered and completely immersed in the solution. Place a towel over the crock and tie it into place. Place the crock of eggs in a cool, dry place and don't disturb them til you are ready to use them. To use them, just take out how many eggs you need, wash them off in clear water and use as you normally would. Two tips I would include are; When you crack your eggs after storage, crack them in a cup, not directly into your food. You might get an awful surprize and ruin a dish. Practice these techniques before you think you might really need to store eggs. Practice makes perfect! Here is some information from the USDA on storing eggs in Liquid Sodium Silicate: "What Uncle Sam Says About Preserving Eggs. These are the months when the thrifty housewife who has her own hens, or who can draw upon the surplus supply of a nearby neighbor, puts away in water glass or limewater, eggs for next autumn and winter. (These months being Spring time when the chickens begin laying again after winter) To ensure success, care must be exercised in this operation. Following directions are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: In the first place, the eggs must be fresh, preferably not more than two or three days old. This is the reason why it is much more satisfactory to put away eggs produced in one's own chicken yard. Infertile eggs are best if they can be obtained-so, after the hatching, exclude roosters from the flock and kill them for table as needed. The shells must be clean. Washing an egg with a soiled shell lessens it keeping quality. The protective gelatinous covering over the shell is removed by water and when this is gone the egg spoils more rapidly. The shells also must be free from even the tiniest crack. One cracked egg will spoil a large number of sound eggs when packed in water glass. Eathenware crocks are good containers. The crocks must be clean and sound. Scald them and let them cool completely before use. A crock holding six gallons will accomodate eighteen dozens of eggs and about twenty-two pints of solution. Too large crocks are not desirable, since they increase the liability of breaking some of the eggs, and spoiling the entire batch. It must be remembered that the eggs on the bottom crack first and that those in the bottom of the crocks are the last to be removed for use. Eggs can be put up in smaller crocks and eggs put in the crock first should be used first in the household. Water Glass Method Water Glass is know to the chemist as sodium silicate. It can be purchased by the quart from druggist or poultry supply men. It is a pale yellow, odorless, syrupy liquid. It is diluted in the propotion of one part of silicate to nine parts of distilled water, rain water, or other water. In any case, the water should be boiled and then allowed to cool. Half fill the vessel with this solution and place the eggs in it, being careful not to crack them. The eggs can be added a few at a time till the container is filled. Be sure to keep about two inches of water glass above the eggs. Cover the crock and place it in the coolest place available from which the crock will not have to be moved. Inspect the crock from time to time and replace any water that has evaporated with cool boiled water. When the eggs are to be used, remove them as desired, rinse in clean, cold water and use immediately. Eggs preserved in water glass can be used for soft boiling or poaching, up to November. Before boiling such eggs prick a tiny hole in the large end of the shell with a needle to keep them from cracking. They are satisfactory for frying until about December. From that time until the end of the usual storage period-that is until March-they can be used for omelettes, scrambled eggs, custards, cakes and general cookery. As the eggs age, the white becomes thinner and is harder to beat. The yolk membrane becomes more delicate and it is correspondingly difficult to separate the whites from the yolks. Sometimes the white of the egg is tinged pink after very long keeping in water glass. This is due, probably, to a little iron which is in the sodium silicate, but which apparently does not injure the egg for food purposes." Purchase Sodium Silicate from: Ray and Anne Keckler Fruitful Acres Lehman's Hardware Kidron, Ohio (330) 857-5757 |
Re: too many eggs
Trade with neighbors for fruit and veggies?
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My chickens are SUPER CHICKENS, I think they lay two at a time!! !! 23_30_104: Just kidding, I am so busy I guess I'm not checkin everyday. :no_ma: |
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