FROZEN EGGS

[MarcyR1011]

I have 11 nesting boxes and almost all of them lay in the one!

 

[GitaBooks]

I have 11 nesting boxes and almost all of them lay in the one!

Mine have favorites also. I have tons of places for them to nest and they generally only lay in three or four of them. They'll even wait in line until they can use that nest.

 

[Spartan22]

Ha ha ha, chickens are funny

we have 8 nests, but majority only uses 3 and one use a specific one. It helps us identify who laid what. We have to check eggs maybe 3-4X before 2 pm before they freeze in this single digit weather.

 

[MarcyR1011]

I work all day so I can't get them before 5...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Ok thank you! Wasn't sure because so many lay their egg is the same box that was hoping the chickens being off and on them all day would keep them from freezing. Sometimes I get a dozen eggs from the 1 nesting box!!!

Hens frequenting the same nest will keep them from freezing to a point.

I work all day so I can't get them before 5...

If you have electric to the coop, you can put some heat mats under the nest material.
You can use a Farm Innovators bird bath de-icer Model B-9 with a plastic nest pad on top. The heater is 44 watts and shouldn't affect either the nest pad nor the eggs.
The chickens may migrate toward that nest because it is warm but for the time being put a fake egg or golf ball in it.
Another option is a silicone heat pad or aquarium heater. ( the kind that stick to the bottom of the tank

 

[MarcyR1011]

Yes I have electricity out there. Might try that. Thank you for the info!

 

[MarcyR1011]

Got home from work and the high was 21 but now it's 18 and got down to 7 last night I believe and cracked open all my eggs and none were frozen! Yay!

 

[RonP]

A heated nest box works wonders to keep eggs from freezing.

Here is a link to how I did it.

Heat the nesting boxes to stop eggs from freezing.

 

[aart]

Quote: Don't the aquarium and bird bath heaters need to be submerged in water?

 

[shortgrass]

Don't the aquarium and bird bath heaters need to be submerged in water?

I think they're talking about aquarium heaters; the ones that stick on the glass on the underside of the tank.. They're like a greenhouse mat or a waterbed heater...

I could be wrong though lol

Oh yeah, I get frozen eggs if I forget to gather them the night before and they will crack, sometimes not until I actually bring them in the house. They look funny but are safe to eat. I won't leave them sitting after one day though; they're the first ones eaten since the crack allows bacteria in and I don't trust them sitting on the counter like I do my unfrozen uncracked eggs