Friday, September 27, 2013

Feathered Friend Friday: How We Use Our Eggs

Over the past couple weeks, we've received some comments asking what we do with our eggs. Several readers have wondered if we eat our green eggs, or the smaller eggs that our new pullets lay. To answer these questions, I thought I'd dedicate today's FFF to the different types of eggs we collect here on the homestead and how we use those eggs.


1) "Fart" Eggs - These adorable little eggs are known by many names - fart eggs, wind eggs, dwarf eggs, luck eggs and even oops eggs. They are tiny eggs containing only white and no yolk. A young or older chicken can produce this type of egg (the white fart egg pictured here was actually from a three year old hen). Occasionally there are small glitches with a chicken's reproductive system, but typically it isn't anything to worry about unless you are seeing these eggs on a regular basis. Years ago, some people believed these eggs were laid by roosters since they do not contain any yolk and they called them "cock" eggs. But now we know that is not the case!

With these eggs, we usually just let them dry out and keep them around for displaying because they are so cute. You can actually just leave them on the counter and they will dry out in a couple weeks. 

2) Pullet Eggs - A pullet is a female chicken less than one year of age (hens are female chickens over one year old). Pullets usually begin laying when they are about five or six months old, and their first eggs are much smaller than eggs laid by a hen. The older the girls get, the bigger their eggs become.

These eggs tend to contain a higher yolk to white ratio than older hens' eggs, so they are great for baking. When using pullet eggs, we just double the egg count called for in recipes and it works wonderfully.


3) Guinea Eggs - These eggs are laid by our guinea hens, and they are shaped differently from chicken eggs. They tend to be sort of triangular, with the top of the egg much more broad than the pointy end. Guinea eggs also have incredibly hard shells! You have to give them several good whacks on the counter before they will crack. Since our guineas free range, their diet primarily consists of grass and bugs. This causes them to produce yolks with a deep orange color and a rich, buttery taste. The only downside to guinea eggs is that they are hard to find since the guineas lay wherever they want!

Guinea eggs are my favorite out of all our eggs, so they are prized possessions around here. I mainly like to use them for baking since they have large yolks (like pullet eggs, I just double the count in recipes when using guinea eggs). The yolks are incredibly delicious, so the eggs are also perfect scrambled or sunny side up. My guinea toast recipe is one of our favorites.

4) Chicken Eggs - These are the eggs laid by our older hens, and what nearly everyone pictures when they think of eggs. Of course white or brown eggs are the most common colors you will see at the store, but we have some hens who lay many different shades of brown, and one hen who lays gorgeous green eggs. And yes, we eat the green eggs! Contrary to popular belief, the color of the egg has no impact on the flavor or nutritional quality of the egg. The main thing that makes an egg taste different and be more nutritious is the diet of the bird who laid the egg. More grass and bugs in the diet = a better tasting and more nutritious egg.

Everyone enjoys eggs around here!

Eventually we'd like to have some ducks, geese, and quail to add even more beauty to our egg collection. I am just so fascinated by eggs and love all the different varieties.

Have you ever eaten any "non-traditional" eggs?

~Tammy

Shared with From the Farm Blog Hop, Down Home Blog Hop  

52 comments:

  1. We have four chickens......one laying the blue eggs. I always get asked "can you eat them?". Yes, of course you can. :) We have also been asked if chickens fly south for the winter. LOL. I have enjoyed our girls so much. :)

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  2. not much of an egg eater, and since i don't bake, i don't use them at all. :)

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  3. Honestly, I had no idea that there were so many different kinds of eggs.

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  4. what an "eggscellent" lesson ;) love the photo of your kittie and the eggs!

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  5. Wow, I never knew there were so many types and varieties of eggs! A very interesing post. And the six-year old in me loves the name "fart eggs!" :)

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  6. LOVE that last photo. I love the pullet eggs the best :)

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  7. hi tammy, such loveliness captured by lens and expressed in words.

    i love eggs, i never knew there were so many varieties of eggs! so thanks so much for sharing.
    i adore your photos...i always love visiting you because i know i am going to find something lovely and interesting!

    big hugs!

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  8. the bottom photo/caption made me smile!
    xo

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  9. I want to try guinea eggs so badly! Too bad our guinea is a male. I really need to get him a woman! ;-)

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  10. Nothing like fresh eggs. Never had a guinea egg and now you have me intrigued!

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  11. They are adorable!! Duck eggs are a bit different. Their "whites" are translucent but they sure make my baked goods rise!! :) I loved seeing all the eggs. I'd never seen a guinea egg before - they are really interesting!!

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  12. Wonderful post! I've gotten a fart egg before, but other than that we just have chicken and pullet eggs around here.

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  13. Well I learned something new today as I always do when I visit with you. I have never heard of "fart" eggs......new to me... I could see those placed in a basket on the table...dried out of course....Enjoyed visiting. I have been so busy lately..no posts from me...I still love to visit with my friends.. Have a great weekend.. Blessings!

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  14. Very interesting !
    Those fart eggs ,giggle ( sorry the school girl in me) , must be low choleterol if they are only egg whites :))

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  15. Really cool that you get this variety of eggs - I learned something today! Thanks TammY!

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  16. That photo of the cat and the eggs is so cute! I think you might find my post #161 on 'FromtheFarm' blog hop particularly interesting given your topic of eggs. Thanks!

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  17. Thanks for you description of the eggs. I've never heard of fart eggs. :0) Learn something new everyday.

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  18. I wasn't aware of all these varieties! Nothing better than a thick, deep yellow..yolk egg for breakfast! I've had a goose egg and my husband has had a quail egg at a sushi restaurant. Other than that I always by the organic eggs from my natural food market if I can't get them from my girlfriend that has chickens:)

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  19. I love how you dry the "fart" eggs. I will have to remember that the next time we get one :)

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  20. Neat!! Never heard of these "fart eggs"!! Funny!
    What do you mean when you say that you let them dry out???
    Never knew of an egg drying out!
    lovely eggs and thank yo for the interesting information!!

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  21. We got one regular looking egg yesterday. But back to smaller eggs today. Is that weird? I'm not sure.

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  22. Great post, Tammy! And beautiful photos of your eggs.
    I'm reminded of this - which I just read today. An example using different colored eggs to show diversity.. that we can be different colors on the outside, but the same on the inside: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/23747/what-is-diversity
    I think it's really crazy how many people don't like the idea of eating "brown" eggs. They are just a different color shell!
    Loving our pullet eggs right now! :)

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  23. Tammy, great post! I learned a lot about eggs reading your post. I like the photos showing the different sizes and the last shot with your kitty. Have a happy weekend!

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  24. Love reading about all of your types of eggs, Tammy.. It is so much fun gathering
    them as I recall.. Thanks...

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  25. Cute post! Pinned it! I wish I could get the family to eat Guinea eggs! I have to sneak them in when they're not looking! lol


    ~L

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  26. This is all good to know. Until I read this, I believed the brown eggs were a better quality. I don't even know where I heard such a thing now.

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  27. This is so good to know. Thank you for the lesson. I had no idea about eggs and thought that the brown ones at the supermarket were the best. Now I know differently. I've always heard that free range eggs were definitely the best though. I'm loving that last photo of your kitty. Reminds me of our very own Kitty, so curious. :) Hope you're having a great weekend.

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  28. Love the variety! :) I've been making a lot of brownies with the eggs. You know, to use them up. This recipe uses five eggs. :) http://bornambitous-bornimaginative.blogspot.com/2013/03/brownies-yes-another-one.html

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  29. I have never tried "non-traditional" eggs but I would love to try the guinea eggs. Great lesson and great pics as always!

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  30. I LOVE learning about hens and their eggs. They make for great photos. I'm always game to try anything new...unless its to eat a bug!

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  31. PS Just happened to pop by again and the kitten sneaking up on the eggs ~ adorable !

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  32. I LOVED reading about the different eggs. Thanks so much for sharing with us. And your photos are wonderful. I LOVE the sweet little kitty shot.

    Hugs~

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  33. Forgive me for repeating this, but I can't rest. My husband took a look at your title photo and said of the eggs with no yolks, 'Oh! It's a fart with the skin on it!" lol

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  34. So much I didn't know about eggs! Fart eggs are especially interesting to me...no yolk?! How fascinating.

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  35. I've eaten many different types of eggs -- I believe guinea eggs are my favorite. So petite and perfect in color. :)

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  36. I never realized there were so many types of eggs!

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  37. I loved this post and without even knowing it was you at first, chose it as my favorite for the week. It will be featured on Friday. You are inspirational.

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  38. Hi Tammy, I've only ever had one "fart" egg in 8 years of keeping chooks, and didn't know it's name! With both our kids being allergic to eggs (I know the irony and unfairness) we sell our surplus to my hubby's work colleagues. Some of them weren't too sure about our green eggs either, but now they like an assortment of colours in their dozen, so much prettier than shop brought eggs. S:)

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  39. Beautiful eggs! My hens have never laid a fart egg. I want one - totally cool!

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  40. I think I have only ever had chicken, duck and quail eggs.

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  41. I've had duck eggs which I very much enjoyed!

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  42. Nice post!The egg color depends upon type of breed, The green or blue color of eggs are laid by Aracauna or Ameraucana

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  43. Thanks for the refresher on eggs! I love them and buy only the farm fresh kind. I have only eaten chicken eggs, nothing more. As a little kid I would collect the eggs for my Mom, occasionally a mean hen would peck my hand! Those were the days!!

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  44. This was great! We have lots of different chickens here and of all ages. It is pretty neat to see the different sizes and colors. We have blue, white and brown. Sometimes the brown is speckled. Really cool. I love your name 'fart eggs'.

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  45. So I have eaten many non-traditional eggs before, I raise pheasants, peacocks, turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, and guinea hens. I have eaten all there eggs and like the peacocks the best due to there larger yolks and richer flavor

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