Q&A for How to Collect Chicken Eggs

Leftover vegetables, bread (stale or fresh), old food (as long as it isn't moldy!). Chickens will eat basically anything! Just don't feed them anything sugary or chocolatey.

To start a chicken farm for your own business and income, you might require more space than a standard backyard. You will also require a permit to legally sell eggs or start a business with poultry.

Keep the eggs pointy side down in an egg carton at room temperature while you're waiting for the other eggs to be laid.

Eggs should be collected twice a day in hot climates to prevent from spoiling. If your coop is humid inside and has no insulation, then there is a good chance they are not good to eat. You can test this by putting an egg inside a glass of water. If it floats, then it's a bad egg.

It sounds like you have a broody and protective mother hen. She may be sitting on the eggs expecting them to hatch. Nothing will stop the hen from being defensive around her precious eggs and chicks, it's nature! When collecting the eggs, put on some thick garden gloves and goggles so that you won't get hurt when she goes to peck you.

It depends on how long you were gone, if it was just a couple days you should be fine, but if it was a long time I would suggest you just take the more recent eggs. You can also put them in water to check, the ones that float are bad and the ones that sink are good.

That is a good theory; however, most chickens are unaffected. On the other hand, a broody chicken that is trying to collect a clutch of eggs might be different. Healthy chickens lay eggs nethertheless.

Each standard breed of chicken needs at least 4 square foot in the coop and 8 square foot in the run. This means that 29 square foot is more than enough in the coop but 1 foot under in the run. If you're only just below this won't matter as much, especially in the run.

No, eggs are completely safe to handle unless your chickens are ill, which you should be able to tell when they are. Chickens don't lay any eggs at all when they are unhealthy, and if they do the egg is most likely to be deformed. If you're worried about infections inside of the nest however, then feel free to wear garden gloves.

You can tell by the float method or by backlighting the egg. If the egg floats and wiggles in the water there's a good chance there is a chick inside. Put the egg up to a strong light, and if you see a big dark spot there is a chick inside.

A chick is mature once it starts laying eggs. For most chickens, that's around 6 months old, though it takes longer for some. I have some that are older than that and haven't started yet. It honestly depends on the breed and each specific chicken. They start mating around that time, too, and our roosters are always mating with our hens - even the ones that don't lay yet.

No, you don't.

Get a paper towel or a washcloth and put it under hot water then gently try to wipe it away. If it is stuck to the fluff near the butt get the hot towel and try to grab the poop but be gentle and try not to tug too hard.

You can leave chicken eggs for a couple of days in the nesting box; however, it isn't advised to leave your chickens unsupervised for over 24 hours. You will need to have a friend or neighbor check in with your flock every day to feed them, replenish their water, and ensure they your flock are safe and sound.

She may begin to lay more if you provide her with a safe spot to lay her eggs, such as a nesting box filled with hay. Additionally, provide her some calcium supplement to promote her egg production.

Chickens need shelter, just like a dog needs a doghouse. Hens need spaces to roost. The chickens need an enclosure inside your fence so that predators can't get to them. Baby chicks need special shelter too.