If my dad was still alive I would ask him but here goes. We have chickens - layers. Because it is so

[jwirr]

cold here in NE MN they do not get out of the hen house in the winter months. We tried but they went into shock!

So my problem is that the eggs are always so dirty. I do not remember that from working with my dad. We use wood chips as bedding and in the nests. What are we doing wrong and how can we fix it?

Edited to say that I am in the process of soaking them and cleaning them up so we can use them. Somehow I do not think you are supposed to wash them either. Help.

[fasttense]

1. Yes, we clean some of the eggs too

Here in TN, by law you have to wash your eggs in bleach water if you are going to sell them retail. Not kidding. Yuck.

Most chicken eggs have a protective antibiotic coating that keeps the eggs fresh. Washing is not recommended (except in TN) because it washes off the coating. The shell is porous (especially after washing), so if you let them soak in anything they will absorb it. Now think of those bleach washed eggs. Yuck.

Anyway, no matter what we do, some of our eggs get dirty and we wash them or use a rough brush to get the dirt off depending on what dirt they have and how dirty they are.

We find that using straw and wrapping it in a nest shape tends to keep the eggs cleaner than anything else we have tried. Make sure your boxes have a lip so that everything doesn't fall out right away. We have to replace the straw about every 2 weeks. But even doing this some of the hens get their dirty feet and poo on the eggs. We wash them and use them. We have been doing this for 5 years now.

[jwirr]

2. Thank you. I will not be using bleach though.

[procon]

3. Contact your local extension service

They have expert info that pertains to your regional issue.

In general practice, dirty birds make for dirty eggs, so look to your coup housekeeping, so here's a few tips that I use that may give you some other ideas.

Deep bedding with daily scratch feed will help keep the floor cleaner. Provide a clean sand box for the birds to "bathe" in and that will encourage them to preen and keep their feathers clean.

If your coop has electricity, keep the lights on for at least 12 hours a day during the winter months to encourage to birds to be active. Also use a warm water dispenser to keep them drinking.

Locate your roost and the feeding area away from the egg boxes. Use a different filler in the laying boxes than what you use for bedding, and use boxes that are covered to keep the birds from loitering on them and fouling the eggs.

Don't over-crowd the birds if they a confined, even in cold weather they can still go out if you provide them with a ground cover like straw so they don't have to stand on the snow. To protect them from the elements, you can make an enclosed lean-to shelter from plastic sheeting attached to the sunny side (usually a southern exposure) of the coop. This is a quick and easy way to get them out and actively scratching and preening, and the sun will warm it like a greenhouse.

[jwirr]

4. Thank you. Some of that will be very useful.

[LWolf]

5. Straw bedding...or at least, straw for nests.

Clean it out whenever it seems fouled. A dry brush, or, if you must, plain water and a brush to clean.

[jwirr]

6. Yes, I remember that dad used straw. I think they use wood chips up here because they are so

plentiful with our wood industries around.

[LWolf]

7. We've got them, too, but I've found

that hens prefer straw to chips or shavings, and seem to stay cleaner. Especially when the nest boxes stay FULL of straw. As the straw becomes thinner, the eggs get dirtier.

I don't actually buy straw; since I have horses, I fill the nest boxes with waste hay and the rest of the coop with shavings.

[mopinko]

8. i use shredded paper. it works for us.

composts fast enough. plenty absorbent.
no problems so far.