Chicken crates and chick boxes

When you buy your day old chickens they will usually come in cardboard chick boxes. Some companies use plastic chick crates – but these are expensive. If you are growing chicks and need to move them cardboard chick crates are the cheapest option. The only problem is the quantities you need to buy – it is very difficult to buy a few – you will need to buy 1000 crates at a time (in cardboard). Plastic crates can be purchased in smaller quantities. Egg boxes, or egg cartons (for egg farmers) are not expensive in cardboard and can be purchased for 6 eggs, 12 eggs and 30 eggs. Once the eggs are collected from the layer cages they should be packed into egg boxes. Free range eggs are treated no differently, except they are generally not washed – which is a good thing as when you wash a chicken egg you wash away the natural protective coating that is on the chicken egg. Wooden crates are not advised for and kind of poultry application – not if you wish to reuse the crates over and over – the reason is that you cannot properly sanitise a wooden crate. Old wooden pallets are very useful on any chicken farm – but should not come into conatct with the chickens. Cardboard chick boxes are thrown away when they are finished with.