Sunday, January 27, 2013

Lazy Chickens



It took our chickens longer to lay these eggs,




than the time it took for me to paint an order of Delft Tiles.






An order for a newly renovated bathroom.








Three eggs is all they laid in two days. 






We have a dozen hens, normally each hen will lay 2 eggs in three days.  






But they're on strike because it's so cold.





   A few questions to ponder while you have nothing better to do.

Are brown eggs more nutritious,
do they contain less cholesterol,
do you think that a hen house needs a rooster,
do you know the body temperature of a chicken,
which breed of chickens lay the most eggs,
which breed of chickens lay blue eggs,
why are grocery store eggs white,
what is a pullet egg,
what is a capon,
how many eggs does a chicken lay in a year,

And most importantly, do they taste better?


The fascinating truth about chickens will be told in a couple of days.




Have a happy week my dear 
Blogging Friends.

Gina 





23 comments:

  1. The tiles are pretty! I can't answer any of your questions. Will you be posting answers?

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    1. Hi Ricky Jill, Welcome and thanks for stopping by. Yes, I will answer the questions in a couple of days. In the menatime you can have a little fun with the possible answers.

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  2. Dear Gina - I should think that the nutritional value is the same regardless of colour/that they all contain the same amount of cholesterol/no you do not need a rooster/I only know the name in the UK of blue egg layers, and they are called Crested Cream Legbars/in the UK brown eggs are the ones of choice in the shops, but in the USA I think that white eggs are the shop choice - it is all to do with the breed/pullet eggs are laid by young chickens/poor old capon is a castrated rooster/I should imagine they all taste the same - "please miss may I go now, I haven't quite answered them all".
    Lovely pictures and very attractive tiles.

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    1. Dear Rosemary, No doubt you have been a chicken farmer in your past life. You answered everything correctly.
      Gene was raised on a chicken farm. As a young boy he became an expert on caponizing chickens. From the University husbandry division they would come and watch him demonstrate. He would first hypnotize the chicken by laying it on its side and pulling an imaginary wiggly line in front of them. It was all finished in a couple of minutes. The rooster never felt a thing and could go on to becoming a big and handsome chicken.

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  3. Poor chickens or chooks as we call them in Australia are so cold all their energy is going into staying alive during the cold, no energy left for egg laying.
    Most most prolific chook layer in Australia is Isa Brown. They have a fantastic record for laying but have a short life span.
    Anne xx

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    1. Hello Anne, Even though I say that they won't lay eggs because it is so cold, chickens wait for longer daylight hours before they resume their usual egg laying habits. Our chickens are kept in an insulated chicken coop. They really don't have an excuse. We only keep a small light on for them...they hate to be in the dark. Commercial growers keep their chickens laying by fooling the chickens to think it's daylight for 24 hours.

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  4. Dear Gina.
    Feel sorry for the capon! but Mr. M says they are very tasty.
    For me, white eggs are from a battery,and are fed with different food.. although there are some free range hens that lay white ones. Like Rosemary wrote.. it maybe depends on the hen.
    I definately vote..that free range eggs taste the best, they eat what is about .
    From what I can remember , when we had chickens.. The hens come to a stage when they lay less, like a cycle!.. sometimes, the eggs become smaller. I dont know the reason though. Then after a while , they start laying normal 2 or so a day.
    No. a rooster is not needed..
    The colestrol is in the yellow of the egg. The white is perfectly healthy for us..
    But , i add. now and again.. i love a boiled egg and marmite toast.
    Great post Gina.
    wishing you a happy Monday.
    val

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    1. Dear Val, What is marmite toast? You are correct on most questions. But chickens hardly ever lay 2 eggs a day. They do however, get very busy in the Springtime. That is also the time when they like to hide their eggs, somewhere in the yard, so you can't find them. Our Buff Orpingtons are famous for that.

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  5. Dear Gina,

    My brothers raised chickens when I was very young, but we moved from the country into town before I could learn all the answers to your questions. They had about two dozen chickens and two of them had come as dyed Easter chicks. They grew to be big, beautiful white chickens, but for the rest of their lives, one could still see a little color on the edges of their feathers!

    Your delft tiles are charming!

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  6. Dear Mark, I always wonder what happens to the cute little ducklings and chicks. Usually not as good an outcome as for those who were raised by your brothers. Interesting that they still had a hint of color left. It sounds like your chickens were of the Leghorn variety ...the most prolific layers of them all.

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    1. They might have been Leghorns. The ones that had been dyed chicks had just a teeny feather-edge of color in adulthood, not unlike some carnations. It was subtle, but you could always recognize them.

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  7. Dear Gina,
    where I grew up we had chickens and a wonderful Hühnerhaus, made of brick with a Ziegeldach/ tile roof.
    As teenagers we used to have our parties there and by that time the chickens were gone.It is still
    standing. I have always loved eggs, they are such a wonderful food. As I write this it is 78F in
    the Dallas area, not too cold for laying eggs..............Everything you paint is so lovely, but I
    especially love blue and white. Greetings, Sieglinde

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    1. Dear Sieglinde, I chuckled when I read that you used to party in your Hühnerhaus. Our chickens live in one side of the barn. Our barn has seen many parties with chickens talking to us in the background.
      Blue and white is also one of my favorite color combinations...looks so clean and goes with every other color. ox, Gina

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  8. Gina, this post and your chicken and egg quiz is great fun.

    I know nothing about raising chickens, and am so sorry to have totally missed out on what my grandmother knew about farm life.

    I love the look of brown egg shells, and pretend that the color means that the laying hens had a happier time of it. I seek out brown eggs in my local grocery stores, and have found one that will actually sell a half-dozen brown eggs to a customer like me, who doesn't want to overdo the cholesterol count.

    Your delft tiles are fabulous...your lucky client is going to have treasures at home soon.

    xo

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    1. Dear Frances, Brown eggs just look healther but white eggs are just as nutritious. Commercial growers raise the white chicken called Leghorn because they produce the most eggs. We have noticed that chickens, who are given free range, produce a better tasting egg. It really does make a difference what they eat.
      Thank you for your visitandsweet comment. Have a great week. ox, Gina

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  9. Enough with the chickens,,,those tiles are wonderful! Is there a theme to the figures? I see musicians and a few other professions...what is the one at the top right with the tall stick?

    .....and , of course, as in most cultures, a man/rooster is not necessary, but can provide amusement from time to time!

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    1. Dear Theresa, your comments made me smile. I agree, enough about chickens. let's get on with the serious stuff.
      My client and I liked the idea of traditional Delft tiles and traditional morifs. In this case I painted mostly soldiers and musicians. The figure on the top right is a soldier. His gun is resting on a specially designed stick to make sure that his aim is directed to the chosen subject. In person, these tiles have incorporated into them a very light ageing technique...just to add a bit mor interest.
      The trouble with rooster is that they all end up being mean. They are so busy protecting their hens that they forget who feeds them. And so, mnost of the time, they don't work out. But I do miss their crow early in the morning. ox, Gina

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  10. Dear Gina,
    What a wonderful post! You're so lucky to have chickens-- I've always wanted to keep them, but, alas, no zoning for chickens in our town... It seems to me that fresh eggs from happy chickens raised at my friends' homes taste much better--no proof, of course... I agree with all of the comments above that those Delft tiles are stunning and that your client is lucky indeed!!!!

    Warm regards,
    Erika

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  11. Dear Erika, Watching chickens interact with each other and with our dogs and cat is been interesting. I have one hen who comes running to me and talks and talks. It depends on what you feed your chickens...some eggs taste better than others. We try to grow plenty of greens in our garden just for the chickens.
    I've sent you pictures of your tiles!!!!

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  12. Hi, Gina!!!!! I can honestly say I have never eaten a brown egg...at least not to my knowledge! I'll have to read your next post for the answer to the questions about them. I've always kind of wondered what makes them brown. Your tile work is fantastic!!!!!! My gosh...just wonderful!!!!!!! Lucky clients!!! Have a good weekend, and I hope Norma Rae and the other chickens lay down their picket signs and get back on the line soon! :-)

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  13. Hello Alycia, Welcome and thank for your visit. You can purchase brown eggs in all healthfood type places or in some regular grocery stores. The color of the egg is determined by the breed of chicken. White eggs are just as good but most people like the look of brown eggs...makes them feel more environmental.
    The days are getting longer and our chickens are beginning to feel it in their feathers...we are getting more eggs.
    I'm delighted that you like my ceramics. When you have time have a look into my Etsy shop for more ceramics. Have a great remainder of the week.

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  14. Gina, You are so talented and the tiles are beautiful! A friend of ours raises chickens and brings us fresh eggs. They are normally brown or a light green color. Thanks for joining the Open House party.
    xx, Sherry

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    1. Dear Sherry, Happy Birthday. So gald that you get to taste the diffrence in eggs from happy chickens.

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