hen laying in poop!

[katharine]

One of our hens seems to have a problem holding her egg. She usually (but not always) seems to drop her egg right from her roost and it last right in her night time poop!

My questions is how can I prevent this?

What is the best way to clean lots of poop off eggs?

thanks!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Use a dry paper towel or get it a little damp with vegetable oil. Water will wash the special otter coating called the "bloom," which keeps bacteria out, off. If you absolutely have to use water, then be sure to use that egg soon and before all others.

Why isn't your hen laying in the nests?

 

[katharine]

why don't they lay in the nest? GOOD QUESTION!

I looked up on here about that. They were in the coop most of the day for the first year or so. They are free range all the time now. They don't like being cooped up, HA! They do go in to roost at night. Onbe lays very early (5 or 5:30 a.m.) . She is the one who plops her egg from the roost, or every other egg she has been laying in a little spot under plants. The other one has laid in many places in the yard. She seems to stop laying in her spots when I find them. Lately she has been under one thick bush. Everyday I go out when I think she is there so I can pin point her nest. Today I scrambled through and found nothing! This hen is hard to predict because she lays between late morning and afternoon. When we are home and she is missing I walk all around the yard calling her hoping to hear her little purring. I am super frustrated!! I have half the eggs I should and the one I do have a covered in poo.

I could try locking the coop at night. It is just that they wake so early and they will make a racket. Also, how long to leave them. She are often not home and the coop does get hot and they are used to being free.

Thanks for any advice

 

[chad-o]

Chickens want to lay in the same place you can educate them with training eggs.

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