Eggs Freezing?

[newdock]

If you are doing a non-heated coop, what about water? I find I have to heat my coop because their drinnking water will freeze.

Other than that, the idea of a reptile pad in the nest box sounds interesting....but if the coop was unheated, I suspect that you would end up with your birds sleeping in the nesting boxes to keep warm. I know I would!

I am not from Alaska, but I am from British Columbia...the land of 4 seasons....almost winter, winter, melting snow, and road construction/mosquito season.

I thaw out my frozen eggs and feed them back to the chickens. I haven't found a way to keep them from freezing in really cold weather...even in my heated coop.

You could try to keep a broody around

 

[greenmulberry]

Quote:
I have brought some in that were so very cold they hurt my hands, but I don't know if they were partially frozen because I just stuck them in an egg carton and they were fine when I used them. Here is what they look like if you find them frozen solid. I just thaw them and given them to the dogs.

 

[Winter]

Thanks for the northern respondents!

I guess I forgot to put where I was from when I signed up, sorry.
I am in Alberta, but southern Alberta where our weather is super eratic. We have these warm spells in the winter, so even though it does get bitterly cold, it's not for very long.
For the water I plan on using a heated water dog dish, we used to have one for our dog. I will just have to see how it goes I guess, this is my first winter with chickens since I was a kid. I plan on having the whole set up inside a fenced yard in the city, so it will all be very sheltered which I hope will help. With a covered run with wind breaks along it as well. I want them to be able to go out even on cold days. I also plan on having the nest box inside the coop. Is one too little for 5 hens?

I guess frozen eggs are no good to eat, are they spoiled or just....weird?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I'm sure they would be..."okay" to eat. The only thing is, when they freeze they crack open, so the inside goods can be contaminated by anything tracked or left in the nesting box by the chickens. I think that would be the only reason you couldn't/wouldn't want to eat them.

-Kim

 

[greenmulberry]

I think one nest box is fine for 5 hens. I believe the normal ratio is one box to four hens, but my six always used the same one, and I had three boxes.

If it snows often where you are, you should consider a way to provide your hens with a snow free area for the winter. I have my coop raised up about two feet off the ground, and even when it was bitter cold outside, my speckled sussex would go out the pop hole every day and go right under the coop to scratch in the dirt and complain at me about the weather. Having the coop raised up gave them an outside area that was protected from the snow.

However, they really really hate walking in the snow, and if there was more than a half inch, they WOULD NOT walk on it.

In late fall I plan to put some kind of roof and snowbreak, maybe that corrugated roofing plastic reinforced so the snow doesn't break it, so my hens can have more run space. Last winter we had snow on the ground all winter and they spent the whole time either inside, or under the coop. But I tell you my speckled sussex went out every day under the cop, no matter how cold. Those chickens can handle cold. This year I got some buff orpingtons and they look like they will do well also. They have the same type of feather heavy bodies as the sussex.

When the eggs freezes and cracks, I would not eat it because the inside of the egg is exposed to the cooties in the nest box. But if I cracked one open and realized it was frozen but the shell was intact, I would have no problem eating it.

 

[Winter]

Thanks so much for the advice about the snow. I plan on having a 4x9 or so run that is completely covered. I think it might have drop down wind breaks along the side as well. I was going to use heavy plastic for this, like the kind they use in entranceways for hall runners. My yard is very small and space is at a premium so I am actually doing the chicken run under my veggie garden,.....basically it will be one big planter box on top of the chickens. Haven't decided yet whether the coop will also be underneath or if it will be raised...still working on the design.
I have speckled, brahma, favorelle, buff rock and EE coming in my order. All were supposed to be good winter birds.

 

[patandchickens]

Eggs don't freeze quite as easily as you might think. First, they start out warm

Second, they are half nestled in a nice insulating bed of shavings or hay or whatever you line your nest boxes with. And third, egg whites and yolks freeze at a significantly lower temperature than plain water does.

I'd say that there is a good likelihood that you will get only very few frozen eggs as long as you check before and after work.

Pat

 

[eggzettera]

I guess I forgot to put where I was from when I signed up, sorry.

At the top of the page within the blue line is "Profile" then there will be a box on the left hand side of the page "personal".......just a couple of clicks away.

So, got to ask Oiler or flame? Eskimo or stampeder? Just wanna know if I helped out someone who has discerning tastes or not?​