chickens started laying! But now i am more confused than ever

[Desiree82]

Hi all! So far ive been doing great with my chickens. My first egg was on the 4th of july. So now i have a few questions. A neighbor gets all his info from the college chicken expert. And has said a few things that are conflicting with what i have read

1. He said to soak the chicken eggs in dawn before scrubbing and putting in fridge. I dont have extremely dirty eggs, but my chicken roost on their boxes. So, some poo gets on them. Since they poop in their boxes. I have no idea how to stop them of this.

So what i want to do is just buff the egg of the poo. Right? It has just been a spot the size of a half penny. If i buff will it take the protective coating off? Also, if i do decide to wash, warm water, pat dry,and put in the fridge immediately? From what i read.


2. The "expert" also said to lay the egg in the egg container, pointy side down. To do this because the rounded side down with cause bacteria to harbor in the egg.


3. Also, any advice how to get the chickens off their nesting boxes when roosting. They dont roost in them, but on top of them


4. Also, i can throw scraps in with them right? As long as there is no meat.

Thanks guys, and I'll appreciate any feedback

 

[newmarch2014]

1) If you are going to wash and refrigerate your eggs you can wash them however you want. Personally I am of the 'leave them on the counter" school so I do not wash them at all and leave them on my counter and wash them right before use which in my house happens within 2 weeks.
If an egg is particularly dirty I do wash it (by using some dishsoap and a veggie brush at my house) and put it directly in the fridge and use it first. If it is clean of poop there is no need to wash till you use it even if you are a eggs only in the fridge person, the bloom that coats it keeps it fresher even in the fridge so just wash before using.
2) I do keep the pointy side down in the container on the counter as it puts the air sac in a good place to keep it fresher is the explanation I remember, nothing that I can remember about bacteria.
3) put a box in the egg boxes every night and pop the chickens on the roost until they get the idea, just remove the box (or any other barrier like a piece of fencing or whatever will keep them out) in the morning before they are looking for a spot to lay. Oh I just re read...if it is above put a board up that angles down to keep them from comfortably being able to roost there.
4) scraps are fine...for no more than 10% if their regular diet is the recommend, though I give more than that to mine as it is things like fodder I grow and cabbage and kale and spinach and other good stuff but limit things like bread, pancakes, etc. especially.

 

[Judy]

I wash only very dirty eggs and only with water. A tiny amount of bleach would be OK if it made you feel better, or there is a commercial egg cleaner available, but I wouldn't put soap on an eggshell. Eggshells are porous, and for this reason I would never soak them.

Somehow you should teach them not to sleep on or in the nests but on the roost. First, make sure the roost is higher than the top of the nests, as they prefer the highest place. Put steeply slanted boards on top of the nests, or anything that will keep them off. I used to keep a few empty milk jugs in one spot so they would not lay or sleep there.

There is nothing wrong with meat scraps. On the contrary, many people feel chickens have too little animal protein in their diet. Feed used to have things like fish meal but you hardly see this any more. They are certainly meat eaters by nature -- just watch them fun down and gobble up bugs. I have watched them kill and eat mice and seen pics of them swallowing snakes while.

 

[WthrLady]

Also a toss it on the skelter on the wall person. I would NEVER soak an egg. That said, I do wash them right before I use them. Remember, Mr University expert is trained in the ways of the USDA mega farm methods- everything sterile and in a white cold box.

As for the roosting ON the nest box, make a very tilted board for on top of the nest box. They won't be able to stand, land, or roost up there anymore.

Meat scraps?! SURE! They eat bugs.... I just try not to give them grease or fats in any real quantity. I don't bother in summer, but in winter when natural protein is scarce, my birds get meat. I have yet to see them sitting on the fence with a knife and fork, wearing bibs, drooling over the herd of cattle.

 

[Desiree82]

Ok, so im assuming the lay the egg a certain way, it really done matter. Lol. Also, by the time i get the egg in the AM, the poo is usually dry and will rub right off. When i rub it off, with a dry towel, will that also rub away the protective membrane? I plan on cleaning them with warm water right before we eat.

 

[newmarch2014]

http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/keep-your-fat-end-up/
Thi little article explains it .

 

[Desiree82]

Thanks for the info. Got a slanted lid on the nesting boxes and the chickens have been roosting on their perch now. Woot woot. Which also means clean eggs! Also, read the article. I'll go ahead and put the point of the eggs down. Better safe than sorry, right?

 

[Rreese]

I read a while back on cdc to rinse in warm water only. Otherwise you'll remove natural antibacterial coating. I've never had a problem. You are never to wash in cold water.

 

[pdirt]

For small spots like that, I just dry scrape off most of the poo...I don't bother washing them. When I crack one of these into the fry pan, I don't crack right on the poopy spot, to minimize any small bits of poo flaking off into my eggs. I haven't had any poo flakes in my eggs, but I'd also like to keep it that way!

We don't wash any of our eggs except if we sell them through the feed store.

Occasionally we'll get a really nasty poopy one...these I just feed back to the chickens. Either I crack it open on the ground, or into some feed or cook it up if there is more than one. I don't let them see me crack it open so they don't associate the tasty treat with the egg-shaped thing (the egg!)