The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Hmmmm maybe a short-term wing clipping?

 

[Leahs Mom]

I'd be interested in studies that "measure" the damage done to the cuticle of the egg by various cleaning techniques, from dry brushing, sanding, rinsing, scrubbing, etc. The language about that damage in these articles is usually pretty fuzzy.

I think you might find it in the original studies as it seems they would have to test specific types of cleaning. I've always wondered about the dry-brushing myself.

So far my eggs have been pretty clean but every once in awhile I get one with dried doo doo on them.

 

[aoxa]

Interesting article about storing eggs at room temperature and egg washing.... aren't you glad you don't have to worry about these?

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/07/refrigerating-chicken-eggs.aspx#_edn2
http://www.realfarmacy.com/why-do-you-keep-refrigerating-your-eggs/#CffS3up7zHoBCJpY.01

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While I totally agree with you Sue, hard to sell eggs with anything but crisp clean shell. I do not scrub, but I do wash any eggs with debris on them.

Since I've started using peat moss, I seem to have a lot of dirty eggs. I don't wash any of the eggs I eat, and I store all eggs around 10C until they are washed - then they are refrigerated.

 

[flagirl]

My mother's cousin was raising hens for eggs to sell at farmer's market in Vermont(years ago) she had about 150 hens. she was doing well until the gov't people came by and told her she was required to wash the eggs in a specific was. so she got the wash and did, but she said it made the shells really thin and they broke easily. so she gave up and got rid of the hens.

 

[aoxa]

My mother's cousin was raising hens for eggs to sell at farmer's market in Vermont(years ago) she had about 150 hens. she was doing well until the gov't people came by and told her she was required to wash the eggs in a specific was. so she got the wash and did, but she said it made the shells really thin and they broke easily. so she gave up and got rid of the hens.

I try to give people the option. Most want them washed.

 

[Ms Jellybean]

I read that article or a similar one before. It makes sense to leave what nature intended on the egg. I don't have chickens yet but I plan on not washing them and refrigerating them (I live in TX - it's 'warm' here in the summer). I wash before using. I get my eggs from a friend who raises chickens. They don't wash their eggs either, but they do refrigerate them.

 

[Leahs Mom]

NIGHT PREDATOR PROOFING...

I was speaking on the phone with the fellow that makes the pullet shut doors. We were talking about various things over the course of the conversation but one of them was how he had secured a large fenced area from predators. (I can’t remember for sure if he said 1 acre or ½ acre but you get the idea of size.)

My pen top hasn’t been predator proof – only has light netting to keep hawks out but nothing that would stop night predators like raccoon, fox, coyote from climbing up and getting into the pen.

Now this is not a big issue since mine are locked inside at night. But I’ve always been a bit concerned about the time right at dusk and dawn where the night guys may be around just before the kiddos go in (or possibly early in the morning).

It seemed hard to enclose the run top easily. Plus, we may change the configuration from time to time so it really bothered me to make a nice top that may become obsolete.

When he told me how BIG his area was I asked right away what he did to keep preds from going over the top and he told me something I had never thought of.

-First of all, he used 8 ft. tall fence; this still did not keep out raccoons of course as they climb and drop right in.

-Then he ran a hot wire around the fence about 18” – 24” down from the top of the fence top. This has stopped the night climbers.

-For the hawks, he strung heavy, saltwater fishing line 1ft. apart and tied surveyor-type marking tape in various intervals for visual marking. This was all the way across to the opposite fence over the whole fenced area. No hawk attacks.

(He does let them out of that area to free-range later in the day, but only lets them out into the fenced area in the early morning, then lets them totally out after 11 am.)



I’ve never heard of anyone doing the hot wire up high like that but it sounds like it would do the trick for the night preds without having to totally enclose the top of the pen. My current pen is 6 ft. high, but whatever might try to get in would still have to climb.

Anyone ever tried it? Thoughts? If it works it sure would be more cost effective!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I think you might find it in the original studies as it seems they would have to test specific types of cleaning. I've always wondered about the dry-brushing myself.

So far my eggs have been pretty clean but every once in awhile I get one with dried doo doo on them.

It's mud season here ... We locate our nesting boxes as far away from the chicken door as possible so the hens have to take a LONG walk through the coop to get to the boxes, but if they've been outside their damp and dirty feet are really great at tracking stuff regardless.

Also, we've got an egg breaker at the moment, so the eggs in one of the more popular boxes usually need a fair amount of attention.

Major pasture renovation is supposed to be happening soon ... but until then, there is mud.

The ducks ... they insist on coating their eggs in mud. It's what they do if they can. So ... I'm strategizing about how to create a mud-free zone that I'll confine them to over night and during the mornings ... this is a challenge when working with ducks.

 

[aoxa]

It's mud season here ... We locate our nesting boxes as far away from the chicken door as possible so the hens have to take a LONG walk through the coop to get to the boxes, but if they've been outside their damp and dirty feet are really great at tracking stuff regardless.

Also, we've got an egg breaker at the moment, so the eggs in one of the more popular boxes usually need a fair amount of attention.

Major pasture renovation is supposed to be happening soon ... but until then, there is mud.

The ducks ... they insist on coating their eggs in mud. It's what they do if they can. So ... I'm strategizing about how to create a mud-free zone that I'll confine them to over night and during the mornings ... this is a challenge when working with ducks.

With ducks, the more mud the better. They are gross with their eggs lol

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Hmmmm maybe a short-term wing clipping?

X2. I had to clip. Don't trust the dogs if they go over the fence. Read up and clip only flight feathers on the left side.