How to Collect Clean Eggs

Jun 23, 2024
4 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

For many backyard chicken keepers, collecting clean eggs is a top priority. However, several factors influence how clean your eggs will be. The systems you set up in your coop and run—such as nesting material, litter, and droppings boards—play a key role in ensuring consistently clean eggs.

Quick Tips for Collecting Clean Eggs

Use sand for litter to help clean hens’ feet before they enter the nest boxes.
Install droppings boards under roosts to reduce manure buildup.
Use nest box liners and plastic nesting pads to protect eggs from breakage.
Collect eggs daily to prevent hens from stepping on or soiling them.
Keep feed and water outside the coop to reduce manure inside the coop.

Nesting Material

The primary purpose of nesting material is to protect eggs from breakage and to make nest boxes easier to clean. Because hens squat when laying, nest bottoms should be cushioned to prevent eggs from cracking as they drop from the hen’s vent.

Some chicken keepers mistakenly believe that nesting boxes should provide a cozy resting area for hens. In reality, nesting material is not meant to create a long-term sanctuary—the hen’s feathers and naturally tough feet provide plenty of cushioning.

Eggs that land on a soft surface are far less likely to break than those that fall onto the hard bottom of a nest box.

We use plastic nesting pads because they:

Are difficult for hens to kick out
Protect eggs from breakage
Are easy to clean if a broken egg or droppings soil the nest

We also reuse old chicken feed bags as liners under the plastic pads. If an egg breaks, we can simply lift out the liner along with the dirty nest pad, replace the liner, and wash the nesting pad.

Sand for Litter

Using sand as coop and run litter helps keep eggs cleaner. As hens walk through sand to reach their nest boxes, their feet are naturally cleaned and dried. This is especially helpful during wet or muddy conditions when dirty feet can quickly soil nests.

Sand is also easy to sift daily, allowing droppings to be removed quickly and keeping the coop environment drier.

Droppings Boards

Droppings boards are shelves or catchment systems installed under the roosts to collect manure while chickens sleep.

Scraping droppings boards each morning with a drywall taping knife into a compost bucket makes cleanup fast and easy. If a few droppings end up on the coop floor, a sand scooper works well for quick removal. For even more efficient cleaning, the sand scooper can be used together with a sand sifter. (This is our favorite tool with chicken keeping)

Nest Pad Training

Chickens are prey animals and generally dislike sudden changes. If your hens are used to a different nesting material, they may not immediately accept something new.

When we switched to plastic nesting pads, we placed wooden eggs or golf balls in the boxes.

This creates the illusion that a hen has already laid an egg there, signaling that it is safe. Most hens eventually adjust to the new pads with a little patience.

We also use nest box curtains to provide privacy, which is what hens naturally seek when laying eggs. Curtains help hens feel safe and secure, encouraging them to use the nest boxes consistently.

Collect Eggs Frequently

Collecting eggs at least once or twice per day helps keep them clean. Eggs left in the nest too long are more likely to be stepped on, soiled, or broken by other hens.

A good rule of thumb is one nesting box for every 3–4 hens. When too many hens compete for a limited number of nest boxes, eggs are more likely to become dirty or broken.

Why Clean Eggs Matter

Clean eggs are not only more appealing but also safer. An eggshell has approximately 7,000 pores that allow air—and unfortunately, bacteria—to pass through. The natural protective coating on the eggshell, called the bloom, helps seal these pores and reduces the risk of bacteria entering the egg.

However, the bloom is not Teflon—some might think it completely seals the egg from bacteria and dirt, but it does not. When eggs become dirty and you attempt to wash them, you are essentially pushing bacteria into the egg through the pores, which can increase the risk of contamination. Preventing eggs from getting dirty in the first place is far safer than trying to clean them after the fact.

Final Thoughts

By combining nesting material, sand litter, droppings boards, and proper coop management, backyard chicken keepers can consistently collect clean eggs with minimal effort. Avoid placing food and water inside the coop, as this encourages hens to spend too much time indoors, leading to a dirty and damp environment.

Our eggs are always clean when collected and rarely need washing. With these systems in place, you can enjoy eggs that are just as clean and beautiful as those from the grocery store.

Plastic Nesting Pads