Mysterious Mini- Eggs

 In the seven years we have been keeping backyard chickens I've never seen an egg as small as the two pictured above. Not in our nesting boxes anyway. Our daughter did a Google search for tiny eggs and here is what we learned about these mysterious mini-eggs!
 One of your hens may be very young. For the first few weeks pullets are beginning to adjust their internal " egg factory". They can produce thumb sized eggs called peewee Eggs. They are perfectly good to eat, but usually have no yoke and sometimes these small " practice eggs " are  are empty. It's possible a bantam breed of pullet will also lay pee wee eggs.

Naturally we had to crack them open and see for ourselves. They were yoke-less but not empty. Each egg did have egg whites. One thing we are sure of is that it is most likely one chicken laying the peewee eggs. They are both the same color and Easter Egger's lay the same color egg all the time. Peewee eggs can also be used for pickling. Typically a peewee egg weighs around 42 grams. Peewee eggs are generally not sold in groceries or supermarkets but are often given to bakeries and other establishments involved in food processing.

 For more backyard chicken info go to here to read up on Chick Days at your local TSC ( Tractor Supply Company )

I'm linking this post to a darling blog I just discovered!  Little Farm in the Big City

Do You Want a Light in the Coop?

That's the question Boz asked me the other day. We are going into our 6th winter of keeping backyard chicken's and we've always let'm rest during the winter. I've always felt it was best for the girls to let their natural cycle take precedence over having fresh eggs through the winter. I still feel that way. We don't sell eggs, so their is really no need to have them producing all year long. So, I'll stock up now for my seasonal baking and supplement with organic eggs from the supermarket as needed. It's worth it to me to have happy healthy hens. The large window in our coop faces South,acting as a passive solar heater of sorts so it naturally gathers light and heat during the winter months making the girls more comfortable during the coldest months. It also has an over hang so as not to get the girls to heated in summer!

As far as storing our farm fresh eggs goes, I always have bowl of eggs on the counter filled with those I collect daily. The bowl holds about 8- 10 eggs and the rest go in the frig. I've read fresh eggs will keep anywhere from 4 weeks to 2 to 3 months in the frig, but did you know many countries don't refrigerate their eggs at all, saying that the eggs hold more moisture that way.

      I have been surprised a few times with a rotten egg while baking, so now I write the date on an egg with a Sharpe before placing it in the frig so I can re-use the carton. And, if it's an older carton of eggs, I'll always crack the eggs in a separate bowl apart from my dry ingredients just in case!

What say you my fellow backyard chicken keepers?
Light or no light in your coop?
Eggs in or eggs out of the frig ?
Whats the longest you've stored your backyard farm fresh eggs and how?