Keep a clean coop

[aart]

No, cuz I got silly chickens. They have 6 nesting boxes, but all want to use the same one at the same time. Invariably results in broken egg and a mess!

Put a fake egg in all the nests, that will 'spread the love'...might solve the broken eggs problem, unless you've got a thinshell layer.

 

[dirkandlorie]

Thanks aart, I'll give that a shot. No thin egg shells, just girls jostling over the eggs.

 

[aart]

Thanks aart, I'll give that a shot. No thin egg shells, just girls jostling over the eggs.

So they leave the shells in the nest?
At least they aren't eating them.

 

[dirkandlorie]

So they leave the shells in the nest?
At least they aren't eating them.

No, they're not eating them, but love them when I scramble them up for them. Does make quite a sticky mess in the nest though, so anxious to try your trick. Thanks so much.

 

[aart]

Does make quite a sticky mess in the nest though

Nasty!!

 

[ChickenWaterer]

As I stated previously in this thread, common sense is endangered. I actually have begun calling it uncommon sense.

I use a variant of this.... "Common sense isn't common practice."

 

[MIchickenlady]

I hate to sound like a broken record but the latest news reporting 49 states blaming their salmonella out break on Back yard chicken breeders should be of concern to all of us who raise chickens ,whether for personal use or commercial purposes.
I am not convinced there are that many states with irresponsible back yard chicken breeders .
Are they not washing their hands after they have been in the coop or handled their birds and eggs? because it's the first thing any f us in the family do.Wash your hands! Are they not cooking their eggs or chicken meat properly to a safe doneness?
Seriously can there be all of a sudden that many people in 49 states that irresponsible??
I wonder how many of them also keep reptiles?? Reptiles, snakes, lizards , turtles all reptiles are notorious salmonella carriers .
I have noticed so many times when people show pics on this or other chicken websites , that their coops and runs look pretty disgusting and less than clean.
People jut keep doing what chicken ring people have done for centuries unfortunately .
They put straw in the lay box .They have just straight on dirt or just dirt on the coop floor and run areas .
Well, you can't clean straw! and when it rains that dirt and straw in the run turns to a muddy poopy disgusting mess .YULK!
I learned after 17 years of making the mistakes, when a man I hired to build my chicken coop told me the best way to keep a coop and run area and nesting boxes clean and fly free and I have thanked him in my heart ever since .
No straw EVER ! Put pine shavings in the nesting boxes, and most importantly , "Washed Plaster Sand" on the coop and run floor . But only washed plaster sand ( about 3 bucks for a 50# bag at any Home Depot or Lowes ). Any other sand will be bad for the girls to breath . The poop will suspend on the sand and make it easy to simply rake up the poop off the top of the sand and toss in the garden or compost pile . The girls will bee able to dust bath in it it's never muddy.
My coop never smells ad I never have flies!!!! M chickens keep clean and happy !!

I usually get construction grade sand from Home Depot, I will have to check out the washed plaster sand. I used playsand my first go around...wet even-put it in my coop that way-big mistake!! Dry construction sand has been great thought.