Special Package

You all know that about a month ago I tried "disciplining" our flock by moving the coop to an enclosed pasture. The idea was to force the chickens to lay their eggs in their coop's laying boxes. Since the pasture lacked good nooks and crannies for them to lay in, the coop would at once become much more appealing to our good hens. NOT SO. We had mass mutiny with chickens flying (yes flying!) over the 5 foot fence to go back to their favorite hang out places. Well, if you can't fight them, work with them. So I have been going around and strategically placing laying boxes all over the place (yes, a few acres). If I find an egg I place a comfy bedded box in that spot or in the vicinity. If I see them searching around for good places to lay I will set up a box for their convenience. I have been experimenting with laying box shapes and forms. So far the consensus is that a deep box is the best. A 5 gallon bucket on its side just won't do. A tupperware bin on its side has too high ceilings and not enough depth. However, a long crate for an electric motor, with some modification, works like a charm. A 20 gallon plastic barrel on its side is the new favorite. The red plastic gives a nice light inside the box... it's all about ambiance! And of course, the all time favorite: the over sized mail box. Has enough depth, has nice domed ceilings in the Romanesque style, but also has a flat bottom which gives more stability of footing to the discerning hen. I gather 8 eggs daily out of that one! Fortunately, there are still some good hens who lay where they are supposed to: in their coop.
Every day I put on my Dirndl, pick up my basket and skip around the farm gathering eggs with a big smile on my face. I feel that I am one up on the hens since, after all, I am getting eggs. Don't remind me of the time spent making special boxes and following them around to find their new and ever changing laying places.