Late Night Egg Hunt 🐓🪺
Unfortunately I love eggs so much, that I go hunting for them at night even though we live out in the forest, in the country. 😳
When your hens usually bless you with 15 eggs a day, but you only find one… that’s when you know I’m out here, headlamp on, egg hunting like it’s Easter — at night. 😅
Our coop still isn’t set up the way we want it. The nesting box is still on the ground (temporarily a pain), and our roosting bars are just two small makeshift ones they sometimes use. Of course, they prefer roosting on top of the nesting box, which means every time they scratch and dust bathe, bedding fills the box. Even when they do lay in there, the eggs don’t roll down into the catch the way they’re supposed to.
That catch system is designed to prevent clutch building, which can trigger broodiness, but since it’s not working properly, I’m chasing eggs down instead of collecting them easily.
Here’s a quick tip if you’re setting up your coop. Nesting boxes should sit lower than your roosting bars, and the roosts should be the highest point your hens can comfortably reach. Chickens naturally want to sleep at the tallest perch.
If your nest is higher than the bars, they’ll sleep in the nest, poop in the nest, and scratch bedding into the nest. None of that makes for clean eggs. A properly sloped roll-away nesting box can also save you from cracked shells and surprise hidden clutches.
Another tip: don’t overdo it with the number of boxes you add. My nine ladies in this coop all use the same box out of the three available. Chickens love to share favorite spots, even when plenty of space is open.
Moral of the story: learn from me. Get your coop set up properly before moving your chickens in. Our plan was to have everything built within a few weeks, but poor health slowed me down dramatically. Right now, it takes everything in me just to get out there every day — sometimes multiple times a day. I cannot wait to finally have this system together.
I’ll keep y’all posted on how the chicken kingdom build turns out. Part 2 will show you exactly what we found when we went searching for hidden eggs from our blue-egg-laying Cream Legbars. And of course, whether or not Sir Gus — our jerk-face protector rooster — still thinks my legs are his personal sparring partners with those spurs of his. 🫣🐓
#chickens #chicken coop #Lemon8Diary #homestead #unfortunatelyilove
If you're a chicken keeper struggling with egg collection like me, setting up your coop thoughtfully from the start can save a lot of trouble. One key factor is the height arrangement between nesting boxes and roosting bars. Since hens naturally prefer higher perches to sleep, placing roosts above nesting areas discourages them from roosting in nests where they might defecate and scratch bedding, leading to dirty eggs and hidden clutches. Another critical tip is investing in a properly sloped roll-away nesting box. This design ensures eggs gently roll away to a catch tray, preventing them from being buried under bedding or cracked by hens moving around. Without this, you might find yourself hunting for eggs as I do, especially at night with a headlamp, which is both exhausting and unnecessary. It's also important not to overpopulate your coop with too many nesting boxes. Contrary to what some might assume, chickens often share preferred nesting spots, so having three or four boxes for nine hens is plenty. Having too many can confuse the hens and complicate cleaning and management. Broodiness is another challenge linked to nest setup. If hens can build a clutch by laying eggs in the same nesting box without them rolling away, they become broody, sitting on eggs excessively, which reduces overall egg production. The roll-away system is designed to combat this by regularly removing eggs from the nest. Lastly, patience and attentiveness during setup and transitions matter. Health challenges or delays can interfere, but prioritizing your coop’s design with these tips will pay off in cleaner eggs, less stress, and happier hens. Whether you're starting out or upgrading your chicken kingdom, these considerations help create a smooth and rewarding egg-collecting experience.