Dirty eggs

[Wdnvlchick]

Seattle is a very muddy place to raise chickens and even thought my girls take dirt baths daily they are still dirtier than they ever were during the summer. Now my best layer has absolutely filthy eggs. She must be rolling them in her poo. I just read that maybe we shouldn't be eating them, even though I wash them. Opinions? How do I get her to keep her eggs clean? Her tail feathers are really dirty and I am wondering if maybe she is unhealthy from being in mud so much. I've only had chickens for about 6 months now so I am a chicken farmer newbie and am probably doing something wrong. I only have 3 girls and they have an indoor henhouse and a covered outdoor, non-muddy area, and then a fenced outside non-covered, extremely muddy area. I try to let them out most everyday but predators cause a constant threat.

 

[zatsdeb]

do you use straw in your nesting boxes? we have some boxes that just have dirty eggs in them! and most of them are clean.
you just have to wash them, the only thing is not to scrub them with anything abrasive. I just use a damp paper towel, and when you wash them you just need to use them sooner, as they will not be fresh as long.
that shell protects them and helps with the "shelf life"
we wash our eggs all the time, and eat them, we have never gotten sick or anything from that.

 

[Wdnvlchick]

The nesting boxes do have straw in them but this one consistently lays her eggs on the floor under the nesting boxes. When the boxes were on the floor she'd lay on top of the boxes and the eggs would roll off and crack. Silly chicken. Should I put hay on the floor maybe? I put sawdust on the floor today in hopes of it caking the mud a bit. Thanks for the reply!

 

[Imp]

Hi wdnvlchick.
I'm guessing you're a little north of me. (from your name) I'm in Renton, and yes Seattle can be a little muddy. Snow and cold are predicted for this week so maybe the mud will freeze.

Am I correct that your coop has a floor, not just dirt? If so maybe you could try another type of nest. I just added the orange 5 gal Home Depot buckets to my coop. The girls took to them immediately, and they don't poop in them (yet).(Make sure they cannot roll

) I've also heard others say they used golf/ping pong balls to lure hens to the nest. I occasionally get dirty eggs also and I just wash them. Good Luck
Imp/Russ

I just realized that you said nest boxes, some people here have open nests without tops.

 

[Wdnvlchick]

Yes, the coop has a wood floor. Hmmm. Haven't heard of the home depot bucket idea before! So do you just secure them to the floor of the coop or do you mount them to the wall? They have an outside area and then a very secure indoor area where their boxes and food are. It's also a really good idea to take the top off of their boxes, however since they roost above them at night they'd get filled with poop. These things are pooping machines!! Thanks for the nice welcome sign! hehehe. And yes I am just north of you.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Not secured at at I have three side by side, with a 2x4 scrap at the end so they won't roll. (someone here suggested that) (Think chickens in a dryer LOL!) I put golf balls, orange ping pong balls and some old marble eggs in them to lure them into using them. Within two days the older and younger hens were using the buckets. Before I got the buckets I had been letting the hens lay on the floor for about 6 years.
But one of the new pullets decided to eat the eggs.

So it was kinda a desperate attempt to stop the egg eating cold. So far it seems to have worked. I choose the Home Depot buckets cause they were dark, and dark is supposed to be better. Also Home Depot just lowered the price from $4.99 to $2.89. I can't believe that $ made a difference. Penny wise and Pound foolish.

pooping machines???? What do you mean by that??? I never noticed.

I hadn't thought of that as I have two "stories" in my coop and they roost on the edge of the second story next to the buckets, not above. I guess I just have to do things differently. Possibly you could rearrange the furniture, so to speak. Hope this helps.
Imp/Russ