The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: WoodlandsDevon on January 02, 2014, 02:41:12 pm
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I've got a problem with eggs getting really soiled at the moment. The patch outside the pophole is quite muddy so the eggs get stepped on by the hens when they lay their eggs, then getting dirty.
Any tips on stopping this will be appreciated.
Thanks
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The only thing you can do is give the birds clean dry underfoot.
Start with a doormat! I used to find that bark chippings, a good thick layer, worked well to keep them up off the mud. And if there's a 'porch' in front of the pophole, so it doesn't get rained on directly, then you could put straw on top of the chippings too, which would clean their feet up even better.
Then clean carpets - a nice thick layer of fresh wood shavings inside the house for them to walk across en route to the next boxes.
And fresh hay in the nest boxes themselves.
Finally, collecting the eggs several times a day, to reduce the number of feet which have trampled each egg by the time it gets collected.
I'm sure you already know that washing eggs is a no-no, and if you do use water near eggs it needs to be warmer than the inside of the egg, or it washes any germs into the egg through the porous shell. ;)
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sharp sand, preferably on top of paving slabs (it does work straight onto mud but it will disappear) around the pop hole, then a good layer of wood chip between pothole and laying boxes if needed, I use easibed.
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keep as much distance of dry bedding between the mud and the laying boxes. I had a shallow tray in front of the boxes as well which I kept topped up with wood ash. My eggs were perfectly clean even in the muddiest weather.
My ducks were kept in overnight in a concrete pen which could be hosed off. They had a house on pallets which they never bothered with and they laid in barrels with deep bedded easi bed or similar. Again the duck eggs were perfectly clean when collected.
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I like the wood ash idea. Good for bathing as well as it kills mites. I'm going to give that a go.
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wood ash? is this from the woodburner?
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wood ash? is this from the woodburner?
Yes - and I used it to sprinkle on the droppings board after cleaning off to keep the house smelling fresh and sweet, plus it makes it easier to scrape the poo off
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sorry for hi-jacking the thread but do I just put it in a pile and let them do there thing?
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wood ash? is this from the woodburner?
Yes - and I used it to sprinkle on the droppings board after cleaning off to keep the house smelling fresh and sweet, plus it makes it easier to scrape the poo off
I remember you saying this before and have been doing it-works brilliantly, thanks :)
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I am getting confused here. I said I had a shallow tray of woodash in front of the laying boxes so I am not sure what you mean. Bascially they walk through it on their way to lay and it drys the last bits from their feet but it is essential they have walked through dry bedding first.
I have tried putting wood ash for them to dust bath as it often gets mentioned in books but I have never seen them use it though In my experience hens prefer dryish but not completely dry soil, which is why they dig holes. Probably if they had no access to range then wood ash would be better than nothing.
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The wood ash on the droppings board is thrown or sprinkled across the recently cleaned board about half inch thick. It helps coat the dropping so they stay dry which in turn keeps the air in the house dry. Wet and damp is the enemy of all fowl, as it lack of ventilation
The droppings can then be dry stored in a bin and used as fertilizer on the garden.