The Old Folks Home

[Alaskan]

Going out to start on making some roll out nest boxes, hopefully for nice clean hatching eggs. Thinking of making them 'community style'? long with no dividers.
Anyone ever use nest boxes with no dividers? Just figure it will be much easier, and hear the hens don't fight over the one or two favorite boxes out of six, eight, ten, boxes that they never use.

A lady up here uses this design...these are her photos. The eggs roll up against the bumper of pipe insulation. She puts a heat tape in there, and then zero frozen eggs.

The open wire side goes up againts the wall...provides a touch more ventilation.

 

[ronott1]

A lady up here uses this design...these are her photos. The eggs roll up against the bumper of pipe insulation. She puts a heat tape in there, and then zero frozen eggs.









The open wire side goes up againts the wall...provides a touch more ventilation.

It looks very nice but needs outdoor carpeting to keep the eggs from breaking when they roll down the ramp.

 

[Beer can]

Pretty good ideas perchie, Alaskan, kinda a private nest box without the curtains. I know some people use curtains, don't think my hens would ever go in them again if I put curtains on but I could be wrong Lol.
I'm going more like a traditional nest box with no dividers and long.
I don't know if the eggs would break on the wire, has some give/bounce to it. My eggs rarely crack even after they kick all the bedding out of the boxes. Wire probably keeps everything even cleaner.
I'll be using the green outdoor carpet though.
Hopefully they use the darn thing.

 

[Alaskan]

It looks very nice but needs outdoor carpeting to keep the eggs from breaking when they roll down the ramp.

Nope.

Person that uses those has about a hundred chickens and says they never break. The eggs are laid on the wire and then roll up against that pipe insulation. She said the angle is very important...but I just saved her photos..didn't write down the angle.

 

[ronott1]

Nope.

Person that uses those has about a hundred chickens and says they never break. The eggs are laid on the wire and then roll up against that pipe insulation. She said the angle is very important...but I just saved her photos..didn't write down the angle.

The pipe insulation must cushion the eggs.

It is a very nice setup!

 

[Beer can]

I like the heat tape idea. One on a thermostat probably wouldn't cost a whole lot to run.

 

[Alaskan]

Yep. Way better than trying to keep them thawed any other way.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I like the heat tape idea. One on a thermostat probably wouldn't cost a whole lot to run.

x2 if I was to go that route. Purdy fancy stuff.



I dunno...I'm lost as to where I was...working backwards.

My eggs wouldn't break in that without the insulation pipe. Not trying to be a show off or nothing either. I'm really not.

Why are my eggs so hard? Ok..I mean my chickens' eggs. I need to get on You Tube just to show proof. I can chuck my eggs as hard and as far as I can across my table top lawn and it takes three major throws before they "may" crack. (I give raw eggs to the chickens and found this out...what can I say? Ok...yes, I do weird things.) The pullets can have slightly weaker shells and they might break if I drop one. But the hens' eggs are like steel. I wasn't feeding oyster shell last year and they were like this. I bought oyster shell this year for the young pullets. OMG I have a hard time breaking them to eat them. What gives? I dropped an egg in one of their plastic feed dishes yesterday because I had my hands full (it was a dirty egg)...and it broke the dish.

 

[Alaskan]

Broke the dish huh? Scary.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Gosh not overly rich here but have blue egg layers

not pets either

just chickens to me although talk them all and give all cool treats.. I have never used oyster but eggs
stay tough never had a soft shell or or the like

I use the storage tubs with the front cut out so i lift the lid but eggs stay
in the tubs as I leave a lip