4H Project..Need help or suggestions.

[FuzzBall]

My girl has 6 RIR and they have been laying wonderfully. Her project is to try and determine which chicks are laying which eggs. We tried a suggestion about putting food coloring on the vent but it didn't work because the eggs are brown. Is there another clever way of doing this besides getting up and watching each one plop one out? Thanks in advance

 

[Wisher1000]

How about lipstick?

 

[galanie]

Well, trap nesting would be perfect: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=567357

 

[NovaAman]

video camera? If you know the general time they lay, you could flip it on and off... Use either a wireless or a wired one that you can run to the computer. If you have your coop close enough to the house, it'd be easy, because then you can just run the wires out to the coop thru the nearest window.. or even put a lap top in a box with a full battery to protect it, run the camera in the coop, the wires out to the laptop and hit record when you need to and then later go out and see which they are....

 

[MommyMagpie]

Try the paste type of food coloring instead of the liquid. It is much more intense. Put on a rubber glove, stick finger in jar of coloring, dab into vent (as if applying Preparation H). Probably in the evening as they go to roost is best. The next morning's egg should be marked with the paste, match egg to vent and there you go.