Show your pride with clean and healthy eggs

Well winter is here in full force and luckily our girls are all still laying very well.  We have been taking all steps necessary to ensure they stay healthy and happy, and in turn, they have continued to provide us with the same great tasting eggs. 

"There is nothing better than fresh eggs!" as Manna Pro states on their containers of Wipe 'N Wash egg cleaning towels, and how can anyone disagree!? 

The Manna Pro Egg Arsenal

Manna Pro has been dedicated to providing some of the best products for backyard flocks since 1985. They understand most of us are committed to a more sustainable lifestyle, and continue to produce their products with as little strain on the environment as possible.

Recently they had sent Our Little Coop a bunch of products to sample and giveaway to our readers. We are always very thankful for that!  

Here is what we received: 

Manna Pro All Natural Egg Cleanser

Manna Pro Wipe 'N Wash Egg Cleansing Towlettes

Mann Pro Omega Egg Maker

Manna Pro All Natural Egg Cleanser

The All Natural Egg Cleanser is one of the best alternatives to harsh detergents currently on the market and is very simple to use.  Place your eggs in a large bowl, cover with approximately 1 gallon of warm water and add about 2 capfuls of the Egg Cleanser.  Carefully agitate the solution for about 10 seconds  by moving the eggs around and let sit for 10-15 minutes. The all natural cleanser seems to dissolve the caked on crud off of the eggs.  From there you may simply rinse and store in the refrigerator. 

Eggs soaking in Manna Pro egg cleanser solution

If you want your eggs looking their best proceed to the next step.

Manna Pro Wipe 'N Wash Egg Cleansing Towelettes

The Wipe 'N Wash egg wipes can be used by themselves quickly and conveniently.  One towel can clean a dozen eggs but I have been able to clean up to 2 dozen before discarding.  These wipes are made with recycled paper and a natural blend of plant-derived cleaners, and as stated on their package, reveals the natural beauty of your eggs.  

I usually wash anywhere between 3-4 dozen eggs at a time in the all natural cleanser and follow up by gently scrubbing with these wipes.  Our regular customers are alway so amazed at just how clean and beautiful our eggs always look with minimal effort on our part.  

Cleaning eggs with Manna Pro Wipe 'N Wash wipes

                                         

But the looks are not all that is important….

Manna Pro Omega Egg Maker

Beautiful eggs start on the inside.  Thanks again to Manna Pro and their all natural Omega Egg Maker supplement, you can be sure you are providing your girls with a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and all the vitamins and minerals they will need to stay healthy and produce very healthy and delicious eggs.  

As I stated, this is a supplement and should be used as one.  The directions are pretty straight forward for either mixing directly into the layer feed or using as a top dressing.  I accomplish the later by sprinkling about 4 tablespoons over the top of their feed.  This way freshness can be almost guaranteed by keeping the remanded on the Egg Maker sealed in the original Manna Pro bag.

Cheers ~ Kevin

For more information on Manna Pro and their extensive line of products, you can visit them on the web 

Manna Pro

Dr. Bronner's All Natural Liquid Detergent Recipe

I posted a recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent a few months back and received a few negative comments regarding the use of the Fels-naptha bar soap.  I did a little research and it does seem that there are some environmental concerns involved with the ingredients of the soap, one ingredient being titanium dioxide which is known to contaminate the lakes, oceans and cause harm to wildlife.   I was a little bummed out to read this because I have had such great luck with my detergent, but I decided to seek out a more natural recipe.  I went to our health food store in town and picked up a bar of Dr. Bronners All-One Hemp Citrus Orange bar soap.  Made with certified fair trade and organic ingredients,  I was not able to find anything concerning the safety of this product and smells SO yummy!  I am head over heels for this recipe and it always feels good to know you're using a safe product!  

Ingredients:
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
1/3 bar Dr. Bronner All-One Bar Soap

Using a cheese grater, grate 1/3 of your Dr. Bronner soap bar

Add 4 cups of water and your Dr. Bronner soap shavings to a medium pot and heat until soap has dissolved.  

Add the 1/2 cup of borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda to the soap and water mixture

Heat and stir until the borax and washing soda have dissolved. 

In a large bucket, add 1 gallon of warm water

Add your soap/borax/washing soda mixture to your bucket of water

Stir and allow to rest overnight 

Using a funnel, pour your Dr. Bronner liquid laundry detergent into an empty container (make sure you ask your friends and family to save their empty detergent containers!)

Use 1/2 cup of detergent per load and enjoy! 

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Our Little Coop Brooder

After hatching and rearing nearly hundreds of chicks and having them in our brooder, I now have confidence this design works and wanted to share it with you.

Our Little Coop Brooder with hanging heat lamp.

After doing a lot of research into what would be the best brooder to have for both chickens and quail chicks, I knew exactly what I needed wouldn't be available to purchase.  I wanted a brooder that would provide enough space for a small hatch of chickens yet would be large enough to hold a large hatch of quail.

Chicken and quail chick brooder

Although putting together a brooder for chickens is fairly simple, putting one together for quail is a little bit of a challenge.  The main concern with quail is their natural tendency to fly straight up when startled.  Unlike chickens, quail grow their flight feathers in a matter of days after hatching.  To overcome the safety concern of them hurting themselves if suddenly scared, I used backdoor screen material for the top, which will absorb any head strikes from flying quail. 

Divider to separate chicks or to aid in cleaning.

Keeping a brooder clean is also a  concern for many breeders.  As we all know, it is difficult to clean a brooder with little chicks running and jumping all over the place.  To overcome this challenge, I added a simple divider which slips in between the two doors, to section off the brooder.  At any given time, one side of the brooder is clean and I can flush the birds over to that side and keep them there while cleaning the other side out without risking any jumping out or getting sucked up into the vacuum. 

Shelf liner used in bottom of brooder to help against chicks getting leg injuries.

Spraddel leg is a common concern with newly hatched chicks.  As stated in one of my previous articles, I only keep them on shelf liner material for the first few days of there lives and the same holds true in this brooder.  After day 3, I add a layer of pine shavings right on top of the liner material.  This aids in clean up by being able to lift the liner out and dumping the contents into a garbage bag.  As the birds age, they are either left in this brooder for a little longer on the 1/2" hardware cloth or moved to a growing pen.

Brooder ventilation is important but having little or no drafts is critical.

Air circulation is provided by an open bottom design and the use of louvered vents on either side.  Drafts are prevented with the use of the solid walls used to construct this brooder. 

For those who hatch and sell chicks from home or at swaps, this is also a great way to show your birds to your customers.  Cheers! ~ Kevin

Our Little Coop modification.

Underneath the our little coop roost/ nest box, I had enclosed the area to give our chickens a safe place to hide during inclement weather. The ground mostly consists of a combination of dirt and pine shavings and seems to be the next best place for our chickens (next to my gardens) to enjoy a late morning dust bath. Like most of my projects, they are done as a last minute "emergency". The case was the same for enclosing this space due to late cold, windy and rainy weather this past spring. One day after work I screwed up some plywood, rather quickly, right over the already there hardware cloth, leaving the back open for fresh air. Knowingly, the day would soon come where I would need to figure out a way to get in there and clean it out. Ugh. Well today was that day! My thoughts were this: I need to make it removable, yet very secure, so I can put in place a screen "door" during the summer and an insulated door during the winter. The doors are to be held in place with 4 turn buttons. So this is what I came up with. ~ Kevin

How to remove urine stains from a mattress

I know, it's kind of gross. But lets be honest here, everyone who has had a child knows that they pee in their beds (and ours).  When we bought our new house we also bought a brand new mattress, which four years and two babies later has seen it's better days.  Changing the sheets makes me cringe and I have always dreaded the day when we will have to kick it to the curb because the thought of someone seeing it is just embarrassing! Some of us get smart and buy mattress pads, but for those of you who never did, or maybe did but it was far too late, this concoction will absolutely BLOW YOUR MIND!  It's so simple, easy and it takes almost no effort at all and it actually works MIRACLES.  I am so kicking myself in the butt right now for not taking before and afters!!

Here's what you will need:

• measuring cup
• empty spray bottle
• 10 oz hydrogen peroxide
• drop of dish soap 
• 2-3 tbs baking soda

Here's what to do:

1. Measure out your 10oz of hydrogen peroxide in the measuring cup 
2. Add your 3tbs of baking soda to the hydrogen peroxide and mix until dissolved 
3. Pour the mixture into your spray bottle and add a drop of the dish soap
4. Shake and spray, spray, spray!!

Additional Notes:

I let the spray set in for about an hour with the ceiling fan going on high.  When I came back the stains were gone.  I didn't even touch it.



UPDATE:
This recipe has saved us on so many occasions, however like others have pointed out the mixture does have a tendency to get clogged in the spray bottle.  I have graduated to sprinkling the baking soda directly onto the mattress and spraying the soap and hydrogen peroxide mixture directly onto the mattress.  I rub it a little with a rag and vacuum when it has dried.  A little messier than the original recipe, however a lot less frustration with the clogged bottle!! 

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