Egg Prices

Mk Neal wrote:

Might not be enough healthy birds after an outbreak to be worthwhile. Reports I’ve seen of bird flu in Illinois, it sounds like all birds just start dying really fast, one vet says almost 100% fatality rate. We’re seeing that with wild birds here too, a huge number of dead mergansers washed up on the lakeshore.

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/south-suburban-chicago-loses-hens-bird-flu/

It reads that they have 3000 birds. They go from 30 to "hundreds" in the article before they revealed the USDA culled their birds. You will have a 100% death rate if the USDA is involved.

You can read about harvest home animal sanctuary in california. Since they do not produce food, the USDA let their flock live and they quickly gained herd immunity. You'll have to read through the FB posts from 2023 because it is not reported on or chronicled anywhere else.

Also please be aware that there are $$ incentives for culling entire flocks that would make sense for most farmers to do so. I should stop there or post in the cider press.

Mk Neal wrote: We’re seeing that with wild birds here too, a huge number of dead mergansers washed up on the lakeshore.

Wow. I'm also worried as hell. I started a new thread to discuss impacts on wild birds.

Josh Hoffman wrote:
Geese. Interesting. I have never had one of their eggs. I have read that folks also have ostrich for their eggs.

How does the goose egg compare to a chicken egg?

Roughly?
Goose eggs, at least for my type of goose (African) are roughly 3 times the size of a chicken egg. The shell is thicker, and yolk is larger, and there's more white. It's harder to crack a goose egg, so it takes a definite purpose - the chickens will sometimes try to mess with one, but it took a crow actively looking for the abandoned goose eggs to crack one two years ago.

They have a different flavor. Not bad, just different. I can usually find a buyer who wants to eat them, one will make a good-sized omelet for a single person, and they hold together better because of the different proteins.
They're good to bake with. Again, those different proteins. I try to keep a box cake mix around for an annual treat - they make cakes and other baked goods taste much richer. Kind of like duck eggs, honestly.

Ostrich eggs are something I've never eaten. The price for the individual eggs is a bit high and I'm not that much of a gourmet to be chasing new food experiences. They're the rough equivalent of 6 chicken eggs, are (I think) seasonal layers, and are expensive for that reason. The shells are thick and it's suggested to drill a small hole that you use as a starting place for a crack - or the last time I looked into them, that was the suggestion.

Kristine Keeney wrote:Goose eggs, at least for my type of goose (African) are roughly 3 times the size of a chicken egg. The shell is thicker, and yolk is larger, and there's more white.

Do you find the geese helpful in other areas besides the eggs? In other words, are the eggs a byproduct of another more primary purpose for keeping geese?

I do not know anyone that keeps them.

Josh Hoffman wrote:
Do you find the geese helpful in other areas besides the eggs? In other words, are the eggs a byproduct of another more primary purpose for keeping geese?

I've heard they do a good job of "sounding the alarm" if any preditors appear (including the two-legged variety).

I came across another article by Joel Salitin with a theory on the egg shortage. Words from this article are below: https://www.thelunaticfarmer.com/blog/2/18/2025/bird-flu-why

"Don't you realize the plan?  The long runway is to give time for the industry to prove the superiority of caged hens so they don't have to go to cage-free. "  Industry folks were adamant, and are right now, that caged birds are healthier than cage-free. And they will fight tooth and nail to keep caged production systems.

I don't want to get in the weeds and have this thread locked or the conversation to continue in the cider press. I do want to say that part of my families desire to embrace this life is to enjoy our animals in an environment that we can provide that is as close to "natural" as possible. I get upset about feeding operations. I get upset at the oppression that these animals face in those operations.

I don't expect to change other peoples philosophy towards how they raise animals (it is a philosophy, morals brought in even). What I can share is a picture of one of the most exciting moments we had at our place. Our neighbors son in law sold us our starter flock of pullets. Our family was very excited on the day we received our first egg. The picture below is of "big red", our first egg layer out of the 19 pullets.

Can you share a picture of your ladies doing what they do in the environment you provide for them? My kids would love to see those pics.

Hubby designed our production chicken shelter before I'd been converted to "the permies side".  He was following Joel Salatin and others' concept of the Chicken Tractor. In our wet all winter climate, wood rots incredibly quickly, so Hubby built ours out of PVC pipe and Coroplast.

Not permie materials, but our chickens are very happy! We put a flock of 20 in a 10x12 shelter - no bottom - and move it every 2 days. The birds learn the routine and are super happy when they see us starting to move it and rush to the moving edge to try to find bugs.

Their nest boxes are hung on the wall, they have two 10ft perches with a feeder hung between them, there's a container hung for oyster shell, and we put 2 buckets of water in. They don't need that much water, but we don't want to risk having them without if they manage to tip one. There is electric fence on the outside to keep ground predators at bay.

We have a *lot* of aerial predators. (Hawks, Eagles, Ravens, Owls etc) Free range chickens don't last.

When Hubby's ready to "retire" from the egg business, I would like to have some chicken paddocks that we can rotate them through. The advantage of paddocks over tractors is that you can grow in 3 dimensions. I'm hoping that moving them through different paddocks with cover plants will be enough to keep them from being Bird food. With a single paddock with no fencing on top, they wouldn't last a week. That will require a lot of fence building and we just don't have the time right now - any fence building will be a Fort Knox garden area, as I'm tired of the rats, rabbits, and deer getting everything I plant. I have to set priorities!

Josh Hoffman wrote:

Kristine Keeney wrote:Goose eggs, at least for my type of goose (African) are roughly 3 times the size of a chicken egg. The shell is thicker, and yolk is larger, and there's more white.

Do you find the geese helpful in other areas besides the eggs? In other words, are the eggs a byproduct of another more primary purpose for keeping geese?

I do not know anyone that keeps them.

We got geese to serve as chicken guardians. They do a great job! Their primary purpose is to be loud - something they do very well - and protect the chickens.

They yell at anything they think is new, different, objectionable, or that they disapprove of.

They will spread their wings in a defensive posture to scare away hawks, eagles, and crows, and dove, robins, cardinals - they don't discriminate, protecting their food from wild birds. They "bonk" the chickens if they get underfoot by poking at them with their beaks. If they're truly annoyed they'll bite at the chickens, but they don't do damage.

They will yell at other animals that they think don't belong, and attack/defend themselves and the rest of the flock against smaller critters.

They make great weeders, but you need to be careful of what stage the plants are that you want them to weed as opposed to the plants you want to keep. Ginger, one of my older hens, ate half my strawberry crowns before I caught her at it and dug up a potted mint so she could eat the roots. Iris, my youngest hen, loves for me to pull the grass for her to munch and is very hesitant about what plants she's going to eat otherwise.

If you've never seen a domestic goose, they seem (to people new to them) to be much larger than they actually are - goose vibes, I think. They fill a large-ish space with "goose-ness".
My tallest gander, standing in a relaxed pose, will arch his head to right under my hand hanging loose, so mid-thigh in height. About ... 29" or 77cm. His wingspan is immense, especially if you aren't used to large birds. My guess on his wingspan, tip-to-tip is about 5 feet.  

Domestic geese are too heavy to fly. Two of my girls can get off the ground if the wind is right, but they don't get high enough to make it over the 4ft chain link. They will sometimes try to "migrate" by going for a walk down the road, but they travel as an entire gaggle, only go as fast as the slowest goose, and are easily distracted.
They will charge - a run/glide with their wings outspread and sometimes flapping - to cross distances quickly or intimidate. After the first few goes, you learn not to be surprised by it. A charge by a goose can be very intimidating; by the entire gaggle is a sight.

Roasted goose is wonderful. They're waterfowl and all dark meat, but Africans and young Embdens (the most common 'commercial' goose) are practically grease-free, which is hard if you're used to and expecting your roasted goose to be full of goose fat. I stuffed fat geese with apples, onions, and sage, then cooked it long and slow. So tender.
My last roasted goose had no fat, so I made dried-out goose jerky accidentally. Not the best Easter dinner. My advice? make sure you know what you're buying if you buy a goose for roasting.
I have yet to eat one of my flock. I don't look forward to the plucking.

I haven't eaten any of the goose eggs yet, this year. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to try to incubate any, or what baking I'll do. Making pasta has been suggested as a way to use and store them long term, so I might try that, I need to start forming a plan and moving on it.

I think more people should have a few geese around, for the humor aspect if nothing else. Until the 1950s, they were fairly common, but once people moved into suburbs, they got away from geese.
They don't suit everyone or every situation, but they are fun birds to have and great noise makers (for the most part - there are quieter breeds and individuals).

Back to the original subject of "egg prices", I was a little shocked to see this article from Global News:
https://globalnews.ca/news/11028959/bird-flu-egg-smuggling-us-mexico-border/

Seems that eggs are being smuggled and stolen, now that they're being seen as a valuable item.

Another reason I'm glad I have chickens and ducks laying (too early for the geese, but they may start soon.)

The bird flu is a concern, but it seems there is not much to be done about it but try to make sure our birds are healthy. Ours have been able to free range since our Rhodesian Ridgeback runs the perimeter of the property and we’ve had no predation since he’s been around. Took some training to keep him from going after the chickens, but he’s good now. With just two of us eating eggs, our three young chickens have kept us fed through the winter. The older ones took a break.