I’ve been thinking a lot lately on how those that came before us handled life without the conveniences of our modern existence. One of the things that keeps coming up in my mind is eggs. A nearly perfect food, and for those trying to be more self-sufficient, a really good starting point. This time of year, when days get shorter and usually colder (unlike this year in Texas, where half-way through December, we are still experiencing temperatures in the 60s and 70s) means for many of us, living in suburbs and urban areas that put restrictions on the number of hens we can keep, we are back to relying on the grocer for winter eggs. Sourcing winter eggs may have been hard for those before us as well.
Chickens rely on changes in photoperiod to time reproduction. The shortening of days triggers chicken physiology to terminate active lay. In other words, chickens need a certain amount of light exposure for optimal egg production. Domestic chickens no longer really need to time their egg laying for optimal reproductive periods, but they still require about 26 hours of light to produce an egg, which is why chickens seem to lay at different times throughout the week. One of the ways households would prepare for this inevitable slowing of egg production was a preservation method called water glassing. Essentially, the surplus of fresh spring eggs (widely considered to be the best quality for storage) was preserved in a non-reactive crock, submerged in a sodium silicate solution that sealed the pores of shells, preventing evaporation and infiltration of bacteria. This allowed for preservation of eggs at room temperature (in a cool, dark area) throughout the winter season when the hens were on break.
The caveat was (and is for people who still chose to do this) that only unwashed, clean eggs were suitable for storing. This is because contaminants on the outside of the shell could contaminate the storage solution, and potentially the other eggs, and washed eggs loose the bloom that coats the outside of the shell, enlarging pores in the egg, potentially allowing the solution greater chance to penetrate the shell and spoil the eggs (the solution has a very alkaline pH, which would alter the texture and behavior of the egg contained within the shell).
This process was later refined to utilize pickling lime (calcium hydroxide – you can purchase it here – As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases) in place of sodium silicate. This was due to concerns that the sodium silicate could leech into the interior portion of the shell and spoil the eggs. Technically, eggs are now stored in lime water, but colloquially, this is still referred to as water glass. Yes, people still store eggs this way. I have tried it, and the eggs were useable for over a year. However, take note that the FDA considers storing eggs in lime water a safety concern. In the US, chickens are not vaccinated against pathogens that can cause food borne illness, and at least in the case of salmonella, the FDA states there’s no way to determine if the egg contained salmonella in the inside of the shell before lime water storage, and so water glassed eggs are a food safety concern, along the lines of eating raw cookie dough, or undercooked eggs.
This is still probably not particularly useful for small backyard flocks, as there might not be a lot of surplus spring egg production for a family of four that has six hens. Especially as the same few individual flock members age year to year and their production decreases over time. Here at Hambone’s Mercantile, we are fortunate to be on acreage that allows us to have a sustainable flock. To combat the tendency of older hens to slow down more in winter than younger hens tend to, we try to keep a mixed age group. A few that reached point of lay (POL) before the days shortened, a few that will reach POL when spring hits, a few oldies, and a few experienced younger hens. Currently, our flock is about 30 hens, plus our roosters.
In winter, we don’t do anything to artificially increase egg production. Many factory farms provide supplemental light to keep their hens cranking out eggs. Their battery hen lives last about 12-18 months, typically with 14-16 hours light total within a 24 hour period to keep them laying. After that, they’re rotated out and replaced with fresh pullets so the hen house doesn’t see a drop in production. You can sometimes find these ex battery hens for adoption, with lots of laying life left for the home chicken keeper. There’s usually an adjustment period for these hens as they orient themselves to a new, more free way of living. Some people who keep their own chickens also provide supplemental light in winter. Our coop is very low-tech. draft free, stuffed with straw for insulation, fresh clean water, and a higher protein winter ration.
We see seasonal change as important for our flock to experience. A calm, slower production winter season to give them a bit of a break. Cold brisk mornings foraging for snacks in fallen leaves, frosty quiet winters followed by bright sunny springs and warm balmy summer evenings. All of these seasons bring different gifts, and build resilient healthy birds. We don’t heat or add light to our coop (we do have a solar red light in the coop at night, in case we need to do a night time predator check).
This means we do see a slow in production for winter. We are getting about a dozen eggs a day in the middle of December, and with careful planning, we can still keep ourselves and a few other families in eggs. Come spring, we will be able to offer eggs to more customers yet again.
We condition our birds to handle each season in turn. Higher protein and lots of fluffy bedding for winter, shade cloth and wading pools for summer. This isn’t to say we do nothing for the comfort of our flock. In particularly brutal hot seasons, the chickens benefits from a swamp cooler we set up for our dogs when they are outdoors. Dogs and chickens alike crowd into the 10×10 dog run and plop themselves down in the sandy shade to catch a little cool breeze during the heat of the day.
In my chicken keeping journey, I have moved from keeping a hobby flock of various breeds for the novelty and personality of each breed towards keeping a flock that can sustain and assist us in working towards being self-sufficient. In that, I have found that probably the most sustainable way is to keep a large-ish flock of dual purpose breeds, comprised of a wide array of ages, in order to at minimum have eggs throughout the year. And perhaps, leaning on the knowledge of those who came before us while being mindful of advances in modern food safety and how those advances relate to historic food preservation methods. I wish you well on your journey as well.
If you would like to try this method for yourself, understand it is not approved by the powers that be. That said, here are links to the supplies I used.
1. Glass Anchor Hocking one gallon cracker jars with screw top lids, pack of four here. Single jar, here.
2. Pickling lime (calcium hydroxide), one ounce by weight per quart of water here.
3. Hotpot strainer scoops here.
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