I raise chickens so I have a few ideas! Usually really fresh eggs are impossible to peel when hard-boiled. I set aside eggs that I want to cook that way for at least two weeks, then boil them with a little white vinegar in the water. The vinegar sets the whites and makes them easier to peel. I'm not sure about the grittiness...maybe just pieces of shell stuck to the egg?
I don't mean to hijack your post, wendysue, but I have a question for mjw15618, since she raises chickens.
We have a Rhode Island red hen that we found wandering around the neighborhood last year. She's extremely sweet and loves human companionship. Everytime she hears us, she comes running, and she actually enjoys being picked up and petted and such. She lays really nice brown eggs, one a day, that have yolks that are larger than the standard yolks in large white (grocery store) eggs, and much less albumen. We feed her hen scratch, oyster shell, and the % of protein feed that our local feed store recommended. Two days ago, she laid a shell-less egg. The egg was encased in a leathery, soft, translucent material with absolutely no calcification whatsoever (haha, hubby said she "misfired"). She hasn't laid since. Can you give me any ideas as to what's up with that??
Thank you!!
Sherri
An occasional shell-less egg is nothing to worry about, especially if you're giving her calcium in the form of the oyster shell. I also wouldn't worry about her not laying an egg every day...it's actually better for her health if she does take days off here and there! Ten days ago, I adopted five hens that are between one and three years old and I've only got five eggs total from them so far. When they're stressed, they'll stop laying and it can take a month or two for them to start up again. Mine are all very tame and affectionate, too, even my Ameraucana rooster, Stanley. They learn to associate you with food just like any other animal - everyone assumes that chickens are stupid...they may not be the smartest in the barnyard (I give that to the goats!), but they are capable of making simple associations and can display emotion. Enjoy your hen and those wonderful eggs!
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