We use old 5 gallon buckets that used to be planters, that the sun killed. We use the heck out of our buckets before we toss them! I have to agree with the other commenters- I'd be eating that egg eater.
We have a few 5 gallon buckets set up to screw into our chicken tractors when we have layers between the orchard rows. They work great and like you said, use the heck out of that plastic before it's recycled again! Oh and that chicken will see a stock pot someday for sure!
Thank you for sharing about our nesting boxes! We love your feedback and have taken it on board with new improved trays with metal lids, they do still have plastic baskets but we are continuously developing our nesting items to provide better options for you.
Hey guys! You have a solid product in this one and it's great to hear you're still making improvements on them. We've had these a year now and they're surviving our extreme desert temps really well.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thats awesome to hear! You're definitely testing the durability and limits of the item to the max and we love that. Please don't hesitate to contact us with suggestions or improvements you discover while being a trusted customer and user of the product.
Hey guys! Yes, this is definitely worth the investment in our opinion. Especially if you're going to sell some of your eggs and are not going to wash them. Here in AZ you can't sell washed eggs, so clean eggs from the box are a must!
Hey Chet. This is the first time we've had a hen doing this. We've upped the protein in the feed to see if it makes a difference and so far it's been better. I suppose we'll see!
Good Stuff! Chicken stole the show.....I wanna be on camera! You have trick chickens that perform on command? as below SLAM BOY..... I have seen homemade nesting boxes made with paint roller pans along the same design? We just use regular old boxes made from whatever with pine shavings for now.
Yeah, she's the top hen and loves to strut her stuff (sometimes think she wishes she was a rooster!). I'd like to see the box Slam Boy is describing. Building something on the cheap that gets the same result would be great!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I have found that chickens love to pick artificial grass and will eat it like alfalfa. ugh.....Chickens also eat Styrofoam board like cotton candy! Maybe use non grass like outdoor carpet
Just got these. My chickens don't seem to like them. They like to scratch around the straw in their old boxes. These are perforated, and it seems like that could be dangerous to their feet. Plus, they are small. One chicken dropped an egg out of the back because it's not enclosed.
Chicken adventures can be pricey. But as a farmer, perfectly built structures should be a goal. Not a starting point. "RU-vid Perfect " henhouses are an illusion for most. Farmers are frugal. Just try to learn and keep one step ahead of your next problem. Make your owner of the local small business farm & ranch store your best friend. They have great advice. And you have to visit them frequently anyway. They can also direct you to local clubs and shows usually. There you can meet people with experience and knowledge applicable to your area. Do you do not have an upright structure to mount the boxes on? Perhaps you can access some free or inexpensive wood or other leftover items which would work. T-posts at least 5' would provide upright strength. Not free, not expensive for 2 + any wire + any material wired on would fix it. Old metal roofing. Cheap wood fencing. Grass cloth. Even shade cloth. Or affix an old pallet upright to the t-post and skip wire if unnecessary. To wire things for free, use baling twine or wire. Slowly remove other nesting choices and they will adapt. Perhaps it is a breed issue. Another choice is to cull into enchiladas. Then replace with fresh hens. That should be done regularly anyway, unless you plan to run an old folks home for your favorite chickens. But eventually there will be no eggs. Then they get sick and die. 2.5 to 3 years max is a good goal for layers. I really think the manufacturer is transparent that the boxes affix to some structure in their marketing. 😊 Best of luck with your adventure. 👍
I have these exact boxes, my problem is they don’t stay in place. When the hens are in there and rummaging around the drawer tilts and sometimes falls to the floor. Breaking eggs.
Hmm, I'm not sure what's going on with those boxes. We're still using these same boxes and have not had that happen to us. I know they've changed the design a bit since we purchased these a few years back, so I can't speak to what may be different.
First off all I have 40 chickens and 8 nesting totes . Have no problem with hens fighting over a favorite spot . Plus if eating the eggs they lay cull them . But Walmart totes are the best My chickens are big and those nest boxes you have or other stores have are as big as my chickens . I had some they never laid In them cause they could not fit. .
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm jersey giants Brahma Bielefelders The Internet said they are the biggest in USA lol They are all just 9 months old but I weighed some Jersey Giants some where already 8 pounds Brahma’s came to 8 ish Bielefelders 7.5 For all the hens And most are not fully grown This is my first time doing this even others said my chickens are huge and they brought some over for me to compare. But anyway the boxes from farm centers or the galvanized 6 pack ones they won’t touch even with the fake eggs Though medium sized tote worked
So you didn't need to add a little straw or something initially to get them to use it they would go ahead and use it with just the plastic ventilated bottom?
I think we did initially put some straw in there, but they were using them almost immediately. We were a little surprised ourselves. We're about to introduce 20 new pullets that are just starting to lay, so we'll see how that goes. Hopefully they'll catch on just as quick!
Yeah, that's where she's destined for. Sooner rather than later if she keeps it up! Doesn't do much good to have a hen that lays an egg a day, eating an egg a day. No need to feed her to do that.
It seems like the dominant hens are prone to this behavior. And they will teach this to the others. One white leghorn doing dirty deeds. Ya eat or pass her along. If you could separate her from the other hens for a few days so she looses her dominance. Then re introduce her later after a week you can possibly straighten her out.
That's a great question Randy. These are not designed to be reversible, so you would need to do some retrofitting to get them to function outside the coop!
I would say 90% or more are very clean. Assuming there hasn't been rain causing the chickens to walk around in mud and we haven't had another hen pooping in the nesting part of the box.
Great question Valerie! They have held up great, we have not had any problems and they are so easy to work with and to clean. We have them in the coop area so they don't get direct sun which I'm sure has been a big help.
PLEASE DELAY THAT FREEZER CAMP! The problem may be deeper than you think. I have been composting and mulching for over thirty years with great success ... in southern California. Not so much in the Arizona desert. I have watched most of your "Edge of Nowhere" videos form the past year and learned a lot. I have had some success. -Thank you. Now, on to your problem. That problem hen is your canary in your coal mine. She is trying to tell you that she is lacking something. Dead birds tell no tales. She can not help you solve problems in freezer camp. How can she help nourish your body if her body is malnourished? Question: What has changed? Answer: Environment! They have moved from a biodiverse well maintained oasis to a biodegraded desert. If this is a new behavior, since the move, they may not be getting enough minerals. If she is a good layer, this may be worth the small effort and she may be only the first of your "Problem" birds. Better to solve problem before the flock is the problem. Remember, your new place is not as fertile as old place, yet. 1. Save all of your egg shells. Every day you have new shells, Divide into two piles. - One pile goes into blender dry - Blend dry until powdery. Some chunks OK - Add 1 c water & ½ tsp apple cider vinegar - Blend until suspended - Quickly pour into bowl - Serve It takes time for Vinegar acid to dissolve egg shell into base minerals. Do not toss old. Adjust Vinegar to birds taste. The other pile: - Dry thoroughly (sun/dehydrator/oven) - Crush the with palm and fingers. - Pile on ground next to water. - Observe! If they are very intersted, then they have mineral deficiency. Do this with all of your egg shells and feed to all of your chickens. It may take couple of weeks to solve problem. Problem solved? Yes! Great. You have saved your hen. No?😪 I do have fond childhood memories of Sunday fried chicken dinners at the Officer's Club. Get a big rain bird style sprinkler and water your weeds. Weeds bring up minerals that your chickens may need. Use a spade tip shovel to shave a bucket full of weeds per day. Observe. What are they going after first? Get them more of those! - Water every other day - Spread 1" to 2" wood chips from center of oldest pile (only to sprinkler reach) - Water chips - Chickens in tractors as often as practical
Hey Ronald! Thanks so much for the comment and detailed suggestion. You're definitely onto something. We changed up a few of our "routines" over the last week or so and we haven't seen any eaten eggs since. Basically we stopped some of the scraps we were feeding them and went to feed only with some chicken starter added into the mix to up their protein intake. So far so good. We also have the new chicks in a tractor and are moving them through our soon to be pasture area to get the soil prepped for fall. June-August is really tough to get anything to germinate and actually grow, but we will start watering the desert come late August into September to get that pasture back up and running. As you're suggesting, it's a "must have" for these little guys. Fingers crossed, freezer camp is delayed for a bit!
