Since our pullets started laying just a few weeks ago, I've noticed that we get some breakage of eggs because sometimes the eggs land on the hard wood of the nestboxes. And with all of our wind we've been having here, we often lose quite a bit of the straw and shavings and it ends up getting blown right into the henhouse and out of the nest boxes.
So, I got to brainstorming for a better way to handle this problem.
And I came up with adding carpet squares as padding and nesting material for the nest boxes.
I measured and cut out 4 squares from some scrap carpet I had in the garage. I cut out slits for the wooden eggs, and then I stapled the carpet onto the nestbox floors. Quick and easy!
I still spread a thin layer of straw over the carpet, but now I don't have to worry about eggs falling onto bare wood and cracking anymore.
And this morning my girls said they liked my idea by laying 11 (unbroken) eggs for me!
The carpeted nest boxes without the straw added yet.
Some of the girls checking out the cozy carpet. That brown leghorn seemed especially to like it, as she climbed inside and promptly fell asleep.
Here you can see the outside of the nestboxes, looking into the coop. Each of the doors swing down so we can reach inside to gather eggs without having to walk into the coop.
Peek a Boo! I see you!
Notice the blood on the wall there in the nestbox? I had no idea before having our own chickens that laying eggs could be bloody. What carnage! I believe that blood to be from one of our brown leghorns, as the first one who started laying was laying tiny white eggs. But the second one started off with a humongo white egg (maybe a double yolker?). I wonder if laying a first egg is kind of like losing their 'virginity?
Now for just a few random photos taken after I completed the carpet project.
One of our RIR girls saying hello. Our RIR girls are like nosey puppies. Wherever we are and whatever I'm doing, they want to be right there with their beak right in the middle.
Our Americauna girl, Myrtle. The gal who gives us double yolkers. Behind her is one of our two brown leghorns girls.
Getting ready for bed.
Another peek at Myrtle.
Spotty Dotty one of our Speckled Sussex girls. Both Speckled Sussex are 'lap pets' who love lots of attention and petting.
Good Night Everyone!!
8 Friendly Comments:
i love it! your girls are beauties, by the way - all that color in the coop!
is it warm where you are now?
~liz
Wow!! Love the carpeted pads!! Lucky birds!! :)Great pics, I cannot wait until my birds are laying.
Loved the tour of the coop...your girls have got it good. I'll bet it was very cozy in those nest boxes after you put the carpet in there!
So glad you mentioned the blood-thing. How bizarre ...and not the sort of thing I would expect to see when I'm going out to gather my new pullets' eggs!
You mentioned that the straw from the nest boxes was getting blown out - do you worry that your coop might be too drafty for the girls? I've read that's one of the biggest problems for hens. Obviously yours are thriving, so maybe it would only be bad if it were wet and cold AND windy?
I'm always impressed by people who know what chicken lays what egg! I'm apparently not attentive enough to figure it out :) Nice idea with the carpet squares, should be able to just pull them out and throw them in the wash when they get gross.
Great idea! Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth on those remnants to keep the buggies away.
I've never known of any bleeding on the part of hens laying eggs. Ouch! I wonder if maybe one of the girls pecked another one in the face---they bleed as badly as humans. They shake their heads like crazy when they bleed, too.
Anyway, love the coop design. Very useful and critter proof. No raccoons getting in there!
Hi Liz, thanks for the sweet comments. Yes, it is pretty warm here now. But we still have those unsettling gusts of wind. I refuse to consider that it will get cold again before Spring is fully here!
I'm too overjoyed to see green grass sprouting and my bulbs are popping up, too. Even my peach tree has fuzzy buds on it!
Hi farm mom, Thanks for visiting my blog. I like to think my girls are lucky, too. I try every day to give them a happy healthy life.
I know what you mean about waiting for the hens to lay. It's like waiting for Christmas!
Hi Farmgirl dk, I'm glad you enjoyed the henhouse tour. I can't even begin to count the number of blogs, websites, books and people I talked to and read about to get ideas for my own coop and chicken breeds, etc.
You sound alot like me in that you are a serious researcher BEFORE you finally jump into something. It's very good to be prepared, isn't it?
As for your concern about our henhouse being drafty, I can assure it isn't. But the one design flaw of our coop, is that the side of the henhouse with the nestbox openings, is on our northwest side, which gets most of the full-force spring and winter winds.
We fortified that side with an extra door on the outside of the individual nest box doors, so there are no drafts when the door is closed.
But everytime I open up the nest box doors, the wind sneaks in and blows the straw into the henhouse.
So, I suppose the only wind draft is when we open the nest box doors! haha
Hi sugarcreek farm,
I love when you visit my farm blog. I'm sure you are very attnetive with your chickens. I think the only reason that I know some of which hens are laying certain eggs is that I catch them 'in the act' of laying! hehe
Since the egg laying is so new around here, I get so excited and tend to check for eggs throughout the day. So, it's only natural that sometimes, I see a hen in the process of laying her egg.
So far, I like the carpet squares, too. And like you mentioned, they will be simple to pull up and replace when they get soiled.
Hi Ceecee,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I appreciate the tip of using diatomaceous earth on the carpet squares, too. Good idea!
No, I don't think any of my hens were injured on the face. I actually saw the bron leghorn hen that left that bloody mess after she got out of the nest box. The blood was fresh and it was definetly came from her bottom, but she seemed fine afterwards and has laid another egg since then, too.
I read that, just like human virgins, hens laying their first eggs can bleed a bit. I've seen blood from a few of my other hens, too...left on their eggs. But not as much as was left by this one brown leghorn.
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