Laying eggs in the poop dish

brijetterom said:

Swiss Chard is packed full of vitamins, beautiful and tasty for chickens and people. I make a crazy good swiss chard and goat cheese pizza. I sell swiss chard seeds too if you any interest.

http://shop.sandiegoseedcompany.com/Chard-Rainbow-12a.htm

Thanks for all the help! I am gonna try and "dial in" the coop more today.


More photos to come .

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Thanks for link…non-GMO is the only way to go!
Have been harvesting the outer leaves and cutting up with herb scissors..my hens love them. Haven't tried any yet personally, but plan to. Only have 2 plants in porch pots, so I can bring in and out to keep them alive for the winter. Gonna study on growing in the ground next year...

These last few days have been so interesting. I did get one egg that was layer in the nest box I made out of a milk crate lined with hay. Then two days went by with no egg from the one chicken that is laying. Now this morning I got an egg and it was over in the poop corner again.

I have been eating my poppy eggs with a good hot water washing. Is that ok? I hate to waste them!

I guess I need a coop camera because I don't really know who laid this last egg and why she laid it in the corner.


The ups and downs of being a chicken mother. :/

I wash poopy eggs…most recommend warm water. If not wanting to eat right now, I either cook and treat the hens or crack and put in an airtight storer in fridge. If only a little poop and can remove with a brush or just a damp paper towel, then I just place it in my rotation of frig eggs.


A coop camera is loads of fun. Someone recently just taped a baby monitor in hers and that worked.

A baby monitor with a video?

Also, now that its "cold" here in San Diego I hear I won't get regular eggs. What should I except? Also, do I need to keep them warm? It only gets to about 55 at night on the colder nights.


Also what is your opinion of toys in the coop for the ladies?

It's not so much the cold as the shorter days/longer nights that can slow or stop laying.

Sometimes first year layers will lay all winter without supplemental lighting, sometimes they won't.
Older layers need 14-16 hours of light to lay regularly thru winter. Last winter I used a 40 watt incandescent light(this year I am using a CFL) that comes on early in the morning to provide 14-15 hours of light and they go to roost with the natural sundown. Last year I started the lighting increase a bit late (mid October), the light should be increased slowly, and the pullets didn't start laying until late December. Here's pretty good article on supplemental lighting. Some folks think that using lighting shortens the years a hen will lay, I don't agree with that theory but I also plan to cull my older hens for soup at about 3 years old.


No need for heat, they have down jackets on!
Ventilation is much more important than heat.
I you live where it gets below 32F regularly, you may have to do something to keep their water liquid.

brijetterom said:

A baby monitor with a video?

Also, now that its "cold" here in San Diego I hear I won't get regular eggs. What should I except? Also, do I need to keep them warm? It only gets to about 55 at night on the colder nights.


Also what is your opinion of toys in the coop for the ladies?

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1- I have surveillance cameras in coop and it's perimeter. And IP camera on outside "play area"
2- I'm in GA - my hens think down to 5 degrees is a day at the beach.
3-toys in the coop..depends. Not in the roost/nest area…but fun stuff in a protected run is great.

Do you recommend i use lighting? They seem to be laying fine now. An egg a day!

brijetterom said:

Do you recommend i use lighting? They seem to be laying fine now. An egg a day!

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Extra light i a good idea if you want them to keep laying. Remember the shortest days of the year isn't until the end of next month. So there is still a lot of time in which the can stop laying. I would recommend LED lights or a string of the little white Christmas bulbs. You don't need lights that produce heat. 55 is warm for winter temperatures.

When you add lights don't give them more than 15 minutes more light than they have now. You can add another 15 minutes each week until you get to the day length you want. Making a big change all at once is hard on the chickens and suddenly changing from 9 hours a day to 16 is not a good thing at all.