"Why?" Her unsympathetic attitude surprised me.
"Because it must hurt." I said hurtfully.
"Oh, don't worry, they come out soft and turn hard when the air touches them."
"What?"
I was thinking, "like an alligator?" Her son, my nephew, readily confirmed, and that wasn't just filial loyalty, his AG degree lending credence. Plus he is a very smart lad besides who does not hesitate to question things. For example, he asked me how I know asparagus makes your pee smell, finding the assertion incredulous he didn't accept common knowledge. Not letting go of it, he insisted on knowing how I know and finally accepted my explanation only after becoming explicitly graphic. I have no doubt he tested my explanation.
I attempted to confirm this startling egg-information online, and did, (they do) but not on this otherwise exceedingly thorough and apparently complete website about all things regarding raising chicken, a woman's experience with raising chickens, the things that she learned by her research are freely openly shared, including a discussion on eggs, a photo essay that garners 900+ comments by readers, I mention to convey the widespread interest in this subject, and I admit a bit defensively, hey it is not just me thinking about odd things again.
The site is The Chicken Chick, and the woman, Kathy Shea Mormino, is thorough in her various discussions. She covers all aspects of chicken raising, it seems from the perspective of this urbanite.
I read the the whole thing, I think, looking for my specific inquiry disappointed in not seeing it, I kept going and going and going, so now I am expert on chickens. Ask me anything. Go on. Ask. Gimme a test. I'll get an "A," I bet.
By now you will have had your breakfast already, and most likely your lunch, otherwise be forewarned these photograph could put you off eggs permanently.
From the page How a Hen Makes an Egg and Other Egg Oddities.
Here is an odd egg: An egg within an egg. How can this bizarre oddity happen? I never heard of such a thing. It's magic!
And this shocker.
And another.
I lied. It's not magic. I learned from Kathy's site this happens when nearly fully finished egg reverses direction inside the hen's egg tract and meets up with another egg at its initial stage of formation. And suddenly it all becomes clear. Because it can be visualized by, brace yourself, this helpful visual aid.
Mmmmm, eggs.
Well, I refuse to be put off, that's all there is to it.
There are other egg oddities too.
Turns out, chickens have all kinds of egg producing problems. Some fatal. So many, in fact, I sort of lost interest in having them. Best to leave these troubles to experts. People with true chicken dedication. People like Kathy Mormino, not me.
I learned sometimes double-yolk eggs do result in live twin chicks. They do not necessarily die and that cheered me. I learned also there are sometimes triple-yolk eggs. I learned jumbo eggs are not necessarily produced by older hens, that egg layers do not necessarily start with small eggs.
But I learned nothing of Guinea Fowl. (I do see them mentioned. in reference to Gail Damerow's book, also as very vocal guardian birds.)
Kathy's site is loaded with great chicken-related information, and I mean loaded. Some of the photos are repeated in essays as information about various aspects overlap. Should you be interested and choose to search, I found the site's search function helpful. Her navigation buttons do not cover this series, rather, the essays pop up randomly and each is joined with another in random as well. Here they are sorted, searches are more successful by name.
"Hatch along" is a titled series spread around throughout the site, a jumble of blog posts, giveaways, information directories, DIY projects, essays, photo essays and random postings.
Hatch along Part 1: The Addiction
Hatch along Part 2: Roosters, Broodies, & Incubation Basics
Hatch along Part 3: The Hatching Eggs <--------
Hatch along Part 4: Egg Candling
Hatch along Part 5: Be Prepared -- Chicks Happen
Hatch along Part 6: The Longest Week
Hatch along Part 7: Lockdown
Hatch along Part 8: Hatch Day!
9 comments:
On The Flintstones, didn't they eat pterodactyl eggs or something?
If not they should have.
"They come out soft and then turn hard when the air hits them." Trooper's 3 inch pecker stays soft when it appears from the foreskin, even if it hits a hurricane.
Chip - I prefer to think of my eggs and meat as coming from the egg/meat fairy, wrapped in plastic or in a carton.
TMI - Lol.
But great post Chip. You're like the "Bill Nye science guy" of cooking and food.
My cousin has a steep hill in his back yard that leads down to a small creek. His chicken coop is partway down. There was bad storming and the first time he checked the water had only risen a little, the next time he looked, probably no more than a half hour or so, the chickens were drowned. My sister said his wife said he was devastated. Later when my sis said she was sorry about the chickens he said, that's okay, it was nearing the time he'd have to make the decision to slaughter them.
But he did love those chickens. They're the kind that lay light pastel-colored eggs.
I had a hen die from a giant egg. It was huge and she squawked and squawked and laid the egg and then died. It was horrible. She was a Jersey Giant, as said one of the biggest chicken breeds and the egg was enormous, like a goose egg. But it did her in.
That is so sad, Evi.
I just checked, and there's something seriously amiss when the American Egg Board says it's safe for your cholesterol levels to eat eggs so long as you eat no more than one a day.
Eggs are good and healthy for you. Eat all you want.
It's beef that is bad. I keep telling you that!
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