ooops i've done it again.....more chickens...

COOLTRIKERCHICK

simate wrote: »

I'd love a chicken or two but my garden is only 30'x15', I have an avery but Zebra Finch and Button Quail eggs are a bit on the small side to do anything with :rotfl:
I wouldn't want a chicken or two to be unhappy because of a lack of space, maybe one day when we move I can consider it.

ooooo quail eggs are very sort after....in the farmers markets they charge £4.30 for pickled quail eggs... not to sure how many in the jar...... some posh resturants use them ........boiled little quail eggs cut in half in the salad.... also they use then for starters.....you know the type of place where you go in for a meal and the portions are so minute that you got to go to the chippie on the way home ..as you are still hungry....

tomterm8

My parents have chickens (10 light sussex) and sheep (3 ewes + 3 week old lambs (2 female, 1 male) ).

tr3mor

shed_head wrote: »

I would love to have chickens but my oh says that you need to have a cockeral to get eggs. Whats involved in keeping egg laying birds?
Em
(feeling very much like a townie who should know more)

You only need a cockerel if you want babies.

Eggs are just the same as your period. Except they come in a shell once a day! :eek:

tomterm8

tr3mor wrote: »

You only need a cockerel if you want babies.

Put it this way... if you have a cockerel sleeping with the ladies, and you try eating the eggs, you might be in for a surprise.

Penelope_Penguin

tomterm8 wrote: »

Put it this way... if you have a cockerel sleeping with the ladies, and you try eating the eggs, you might be in for a surprise.

Only if you have a broody hen, who will sit and incubate the eggs

Or am I missing something?

Penny. x

tomterm8

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Only if you have a broody hen, who will sit and incubate the eggs

Or am I missing something?

Penny. x

The cockerel will tend to fertilise the eggs anyway, and you can end up with a surprise in the egg you're trying to eat.

iaintwoeyes

Hehe Cooltrikerchick...my missus was just the same when all of our bantams finally died and we were left with two cockerals. One Poland that is now 12 years old!!! and a little black good looking lad.

She went out and got two more girls to keep the boys happy! Trouble is that no one wants to look after cockerals and so we havent had a holiday together for years. I am just waiting for them all to die on the same day so she wont replace x or y to keep y or x happy!!

I posted a short video on youtube with one of our girls exploring the guinea pigs hutch when I was busy cleaning it out...have a look

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrKztny-rNc

Penelope_Penguin

tomterm8 wrote: »

The cockerel will tend to fertilise the eggs anyway, and you can end up with a surprise in the egg you're trying to eat.

Sorry, I'm being really dim - please will you spell out what sort of surprise?

Unless a broody hen incubates a fertilised egg, you won't get a chick in there. A fertilised egg might taste a bit stronger than an unfertilised egg, but I really have no idea what other *surprise* you might get.

Penny. x

Queenie

simate wrote: »

I'd love a chicken or two but my garden is only 30'x15', I have an avery but Zebra Finch and Button Quail eggs are a bit on the small side to do anything with :rotfl:
I wouldn't want a chicken or two to be unhappy because of a lack of space, maybe one day when we move I can consider it.

Quail eggs can be used in the same way as chicken eggs - I think it's 2 - 4 quail eggs equal to one chook egg, but if you weighed them, you'd know for certain. That's what I did last year (I have quails and one liberated battery hen) when I needed to bake a cake and didn't have enough chook eggs, just substituted with the same weight in quails eggs - lovely!

Made up a couple of batches of pickled quails eggs for gifting at Christmas too, went down a real treat

You can fry quails eggs, which look really cute :laugh:

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Sorry, I'm being really dim - please will you spell out what sort of surprise?

Unless a broody hen incubates a fertilised egg, you won't get a chick in there. A fertilised egg might taste a bit stronger than an unfertilised egg, but I really have no idea what other *surprise* you might get.

Penny. x

what can sometimes happen is that the egg with start delveloping..... lets say the eggs are left in a warn kitchen.. and not put into the fridge......

i have never heard of one actually hatching out..... but it could be part developed....

hope that makes sense....