January Thaw

I have mentioned many times that one of the things I most enjoy about chickens is their ability to greet every moment as the best thing that has ever happened. I made a little video of the greeting we receive when we have snow on our boots. Snow! That is the best thing ever! It’s cute in the video also because you can see little Gracie (the black and white one with the wild head feathers) at the periphery having a sense that something exciting is happening, but not really being able to figure out what it is.

We’ve had a lovely warm weekend here with temperatures above 40° during the day and above freezing at night. The amount of snow on the ground is greatly reduced. Hilda and I took the opportunity to replace all the wood chips in the coop. I’m not sure the girls appreciated it, but we sure did.

The girls and the fresh wood chips

Gracie (Silver Crested) and Fiona (Welsummer)

 

We’ve had some trouble with one or more of the girls pecking at the eggs. Most of the time, the shell is broken but the membrane is intact. On a couple of occasions, however, an egg has been eaten. This is distressing because most things I’ve read suggest that once a chicken gets the idea that eggs are good to eat, egg eating can spread to the flock, and you can kiss your over-easy breakfasts goodbye. The best solution seemed to be using nest boxes that allowed the eggs to roll out into a collection tray that was inaccessible to the hens. Such a design had the added benefit of cleaner eggs because the hens didn’t have a chance to walk over the eggs with their muddy/poopy feet.

Hilda looked in the catalogs for roll-away nest boxes that were expensive and would involve major reconfiguration in the coop. I did some research in the DIY world and found plans for an easy-to-install ramp. The design seemed obvious to me, but it was less obvious to Hilda and Terry. In the end, however, both of them got it. A particular sticking point for Terry was the idea that the ramp needed to extend more than 4” past the nest boxes. I explained that the eggs had to roll beyond the reach of the chickens. Once he went into the coop to start measuring, he finally understood the point. The hens gave him their typical welcome of pecks everywhere. Terry was amazed at the range of motion of their head and neck. “I can see why you wanted more room on the outside,” he told me.  

During the week, Terry cut wedges to prop the ramp up and put two slits in a piece of plywood to make room for the walls between the nest boxes. With the weather so nice yesterday, Terry set about putting the ramp in. He began by gluing indoor-outdoor carpet onto the plywood. I wasn’t sure how well it would hold up in the coop. This batch of chickens seems to peck everything apart. There was also the open question of their use of the newly configured nest boxes.

First eggs in the roll-out tray

When I got home from shopping yesterday, Terry was eager for me to see his handiwork. He’d only finished the installation 45 minutes earlier. We walked out to the coop, and there were already 3 eggs in the egg collection area.

And this morning, there was still carpet in the nest boxes. I didn’t see any sign of pecking at all.

Inside the nest box on the second day

The only thing we’re still working on is the length of the rubber curtain. It’s a little stiff and does not always allow the eggs to roll through. We are shortening the fringe little by little until we get to the point where the eggs will always escape the nest box.