The Old Folks Home

[perchie.girl]

Some times roll out nests are used to prevent egg eating. Especially in a group that has learned how already.

In my case I cant get to the eggs in a timely manner. It would also keep ravens from coming in the pop door and doing take out squirrels too.

deb

 

[Beer can]

Most my birds lay in only a couple boxes, so every new one in the box, if it's wet or muddy out, dirty eggs from their feet. I usually check a couple times before work and when I get home after dark. Winter brings the cleanest eggs, everythings froze. None of mine stay very long on the nests so froze cracked eggs no matter where they lay them. Get quite a few before they freeze so not a big deal, and I personally eat the froze cracked one's anyway, rest of family won't. I just run them under hot water just long enough the shell slips right off and egg still in one solid chunk, either put them in a container for next day or toss in frying pan or poach.
I plan on either gluing fake eggs in the boxes or affixing them somehow so they still move around a little, hope it makes them more likely to lay in them.
I hear you on the ground laying Latestarter, when I added the red sussex who were laying on the ground in my other coop to this group that only laid in the boxes, I started finding eggs all over the place only half of them lay in the boxes now...darn burds...

 

[microchick]

YAY! I got a picture! This little one got curious about all the racket and peeked out much to mom's chagrin. She was busily trying to poke it back under giving me a brief glimpse of a baby just out of the shell and soaking wet. Hatch is in full swing.

 

[Alaskan]

For roll out nest boxes... Do the above!

Those photos are from a lady on the Facebook Alaskan chicken page.

The wire side goes up against the wall. It is just slightly away from the wall for better venting.

It has pop hole type entrances on each end. No bedding is used, but since it is dark it is inviting, and most eggs are laid in the box.

The eggs roll up against the pipe insulation, she has a strip of heat tape that runs through the pipe insulation, so ZERO frozen eggs.

She has used boxes like that for years.... I haven't made one because .... Well.... Just haven't.

I do have dirty egg issues especially at this time of year because of the constant mud.

 

[Peep_Show]

Had a pepper processing weekend with produce from the garden.

1 lb. red jalapenos = 2 oz. chipotle powder (peppers are split, deseeded, smoked, dehydrated, ground)

10 lbs. green chile peppers (picture a large grocery bag full) = 7.5 cups roasted chopped green chile (we like it milder, so took out pith along with seeds which might account for a wee bit lesser amount)

Needless to say, peppers are a diminishing returns crop...but so delicious!





A friend in CA asked if I was going to roast my chile peppers. "If I don't, they won't let me stay here."

 

[Cynthia12]

Had a pepper processing weekend with produce from the garden.

1 lb. red jalapenos = 2 oz. chipotle powder (peppers are split, deseeded, smoked, dehydrated, ground)

10 lbs. green chile peppers (picture a large grocery bag full) = 7.5 cups roasted chopped green chile (we like it milder, so took out pith along with seeds which might account for a wee bit lesser amount)

Needless to say, peppers are a diminishing returns crop...but so delicious!





A friend in CA asked if I was going to roast my chile peppers. "If I don't, they won't let me stay here."

Oh wow, these look great.

 

[Cynthia12]

YAY! I got a picture! This little one got curious about all the racket and peeked out much to mom's chagrin. She was busily trying to poke it back under giving me a brief glimpse of a baby just out of the shell and soaking wet. Hatch is in full swing.

Aww, love me a mama hen photo. More photos later!

 

[microchick]

I just couldn't help but just take a peek. Three were peeping out from under mom and one was hiding under her wing. The way she is acting, there are more hatching under her. Gotta admit that hatching Bantams sure is a lot faster than hatching standards. I'm expecting to have to move the eggs from our flock into the incubator tomorrow night if mom decides to move off the nest with her babies.

 

[Latestarter]

SCG, I have had to deal with frozen eggs regardless. When I was working, as long as the daytime temps were at least near freezing and the sun was out, they'd stay unfrozen, but if I got home after dark, like most days, if it was really near freezing and/or cloudy, those eggs it seemed would "flash freeze" as soon as the sun was low down on the horizon. So it really depended a lot on the daytime temps and if the sun was out. Even below freezing a little, if the sun was out the inside of the coops was normally 5-10 degrees warmer than outside temps. Since I became a stay at home chickeneer last September, this past winter I'd go out and check for eggs every couple of hours, so not as many frozen/cracked ones.

Since I'm moving to TX I don't think it will be as much of an issue, though they do get freezes and cold where I'll be. Just not as often and not as cold.

 

[perchie.girl]

SCG, I have had to deal with frozen eggs regardless. When I was working, as long as the daytime temps were at least near freezing and the sun was out, they'd stay unfrozen, but if I got home after dark, like most days, if it was really near freezing and/or cloudy, those eggs it seemed would "flash freeze" as soon as the sun was low down on the horizon. So it really depended a lot on the daytime temps and if the sun was out. Even below freezing a little, if the sun was out the inside of the coops was normally 5-10 degrees warmer than outside temps. Since I became a stay at home chickeneer last September, this past winter I'd go out and check for eggs every couple of hours, so not as many frozen/cracked ones.

Since I'm moving to TX I don't think it will be as much of an issue, though they do get freezes and cold where I'll be. Just not as often and not as cold.

Have you narrowed down the area yet?

deb