Do you size your eggs for sale?

[NH Homesteader]

There is totally a market for colored eggs. That's why I got EE's last year. But they were carnivorous attack chickens that beat everyone up so they went along their merry way!

 

[tortoise]

Oh no! Did you get them from Murray McMurray hatchery? I was going to order from there... but maybe not if they're too...... carnivorous.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

I have four EE hens, and an EE rooster. All have been great. All the hens give me at least 5 eggs a week (all are two y/o or less.)

Edited to add, my customers really enjoy the different colored eggs, but almost all of them are elderly and see it as a novelty. I don't have any white eggs. Might have to get some for variety!

 

[baymule]

I keep the smallest for house use.

 

[sumi]

When I sold eggs I used to mix big and small eggs in the cartons. I had one customer try to be cheeky, wanting to pick out eggs, but I told him no, unless he's willing to pay more, since he'll be taking all the best eggs, leaving the smaller ones for my other customers. They were quite happy with whatever they got, as I charged way less than shop prices for free range eggs and my eggs were sold within a day or two of laying, so they were fresh.

 

[NH Homesteader]

@tortoise yes they were from Murray McMurray, same as my psycho Cornish roo lol. I have mostly very mild mannered heavy breeds so maybe you'd have better luck if you have stronger willed hens! I now have mostly Dominiques and orpingtons and they wouldn't stand up to the EE's. The Cornishes might not have put up with it, but we keep them separate. Someone said E E's do better with higher protein. @Hinotori maybe? Sorry, memory fails me sometimes!

And no I don't size my eggs, but I keep the smallest ones for us because I don't mind them. Dominiques lay smaller eggs so I get plenty of little ones!

 

[Hinotori]

Both my wheaten and silver ameraucana and hatchery easter eggers haven't done well on layer. The will pull feathers from each other to eat. I feed them a 20% feed. They've been getting Nutrena Egg Producer because it's a bit cheaper than the Purina Flockraiser I had been feeding them. Silkies still get that because it comes in crumble.

Note that layer is 16% but even the feed producer knows that higher means more eggs. Egg Producer is 20%.

I'm currently getting 6 to 8 eggs a day from the 9 blue layers. The youngest if them is 4 and the oldest are 7.

I used to size my eggs on the scale when I was selling eggs only to weed out the smallest for our use.

I get a ton of silkie eggs. 2 of them to make a large egg when baking. I prefer them for deviled eggs and pickled eggs.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Maybe the "northern" Ameraucana's are more aggressive? I have some and they blend pretty well with the rest of my flock of mostly Orpingtons, Sussex and Hollands. They are smaller and 'busier' but not trouble makers at all. Not sure where these originally came from because I got these at the feed store in exchange for them scratching my truck with a fork lift, lol.

 

[NH Homesteader]

It could be that hatchery has more aggressive ones, could be I had bad luck... No clue. I've never had issues like I did with them though.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

We have a hatchery here in Cameron, TX (Ideal Poultry) that I think most of the feed stores order from. I've ordered from them before and have never been disappointed with their chicks. Great customer service! They have some of the rare breeds that I have, like the Silver Grey dorkings, and the Barred Hollands. Quality birds too. If I order chicks again it would be from them.