Beginners Chicken Keeping

[Toddy]

Camlab's have the powder….a wee touch expensive though :yikes:
http://www.camlab.co.uk/sodium-silicate-powder-pure-500g-p15664.aspx

or the pottery supplies folks have it at a much better price

http://www.potterycrafts.co.uk/Products/raw-materials/P3343-01

M

 

[British Red]

That's excellent thanks

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

We just give our surplus eggs away (especially to the neighbours who may have to listen to them at 0645 when they want out their coop!!)

 

[Mesquite]

You like pickles….A two pint Kilner jar will hold a dozen eggs if they're pickled. Pickled eggs go well with salads, sliced on sandwiches, in packed lunches, and they can be used to make Scotch eggs if folks like chutney tasting ones. Not to everyone's taste, but very good food.

Chili pickled eggs are particularly tasty if you do pickle any eggs Hugh

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

Whats the best way / process to pickle them?

 

[Mesquite]

Whats the best way / process to pickle them?

I've done them the same way you would pickle onions.

 

[Toddy]

A recipe for chilli pickled eggs would be appreciated. HWMBLT might enjoy those

M

 

[santaman2000]

Chili pickled eggs are particularly tasty if you do pickle any eggs Hugh

Plus 1 to this!

 

[British Red]

I think anyone who eats chilli pickled eggs is destined to sleep alone

 

[British Red]

We just give our surplus eggs away (especially to the neighbours who may have to listen to them at 0645 when they want out their coop!!)

Hence the automatic pop hole opener. It opens as soon as its light

 

[santaman2000]

I think anyone who eats chilli pickled eggs is destined to sleep alone

Or with someone like minded. LOL

 

[British Red]

Or with someone like minded. LOL

Oh she's pretty good. She doesn't even mind being a perch


Chicken perch by British Red, on Flickr

 

[santaman2000]

Oh she's pretty good. She doesn't even mind being a perch


Chicken perch by British Red, on Flickr

You found a keeper!

 

[Bothwell_Craig]

One of ours (the hand reared from the egg one) does like to perch on me and watch tv!

Just bought timber and wire to build a new run for ours. Good news on the egg front Red, ours were small to start with but have got bigger. Can't beat the taste

 

[Lister]

I should get some snaps of our chickens, we've had them just over 2 years now;

A Sussex
A Cream legbar
A Leghorn
4 Rhode Rocks
2 Gold Star

They get free-range of the garden, much to the dismay of the garden, it needs regrassing and the holes filling but they enjoy it so can't complain.

 

[Mesquite]

A recipe for chilli pickled eggs would be appreciated. HWMBLT might enjoy those

M

Just pickle as normal but bung a few chilies in that you like... habenero or scotch bonnet can produce some interesting results

 

[Toddy]

Ah, and there was me thinking it'd be something esoteric like injecting chilli oil into the yoke

M

 

[FGYT]

I used to do Chilli and Garlic pickled eggs

put Peeled hard boiled eggs in jar add Chilli peppers and clove of garlic sarsons pickling vinegar Lid on leave for at least 6weeks (have had some years later after finfing on a cupboard top couple had been sactrificed to teh God of pickling and mush in the bottom but rest where fine

For effect put in a small Cooked beetroot (or few drops of red food colour) eggs turn Red yolks go a little green looks like pickled hearts

Jsut trying out a Pickled Goose egg as we have a few now 1 per small jar with a little garlic

 

[British Red]

yep normally small to start and probably a lot of double yolks as well

Had a few of them, a couple of thin shells and now, as more come on to lay, a huge size variation

Egg size variation by British Red, on Flickr

The hens are maturing nicely, you can see most of them here

Chicken flock by British Red, on Flickr

The Goldstar is a particularly striking looking bird

Gold Star by British Red, on Flickr

and the Speckeldy are both large and oddly turkey like we think

Speckledies by British Red, on Flickr

All good fun so far, and less work than bees!

 

[FGYT]

Have 11 bantams hatching out this weekend

Geese are slowing down on eggs
Quail have finally started after many months

so we have 5 species in 6 ish sizes of egg makes baking Fun will have to sort out a conversion Grid