Cleaning the coop & "seeding the nests"

Everyone is sick of hearing about my birds.  They just don't get it that those birds are comical and useful in their own right. Anyway... 

As the weather improves outside I am becoming more and more antsy to get outdoors.  Of course it isnt anywhere near warm enough to get Little Frog out for any extensive period of time.  I was able to get him down for his nap this afternoon and thought since my sister hadn't gotten out to get the eggs yet that perhaps I should do so...  It was a good idea, although it took longer than I planned on, since I got distracted with things I wanted to get done in their house, (imagine that) such as removing the unwanted nesting boxes and scraping the floor of all excess garbage so it isnt so messy looking in there.  I got some of it done but there is still a lot to be done.  

One of the guinea hen's escaped, stupid bird, so I had to chase it down with the net, and try to get it back into the pen without getting pecked to death by that blasted excuse for a bird... I got it accomplished but only because I just picked her up through the net then set the net on the ground inside the pen and tipped it up so she could go out. Dumb bird.

As I was removing the nesting boxes that weren't nailed down, Rose came up on the roost and poked her nose in the way like "Whatcha doin? whatcha doin? Can I help?"  then climbed into the new nesting box I was experimenting with (a square tub similar to a dishpan).  Dishpans would actually probably do quite well actually, but trying to make do with what I have.

After I finish writing down my thoughts here I need to go locate the plastic eggs I bought for the purpose of seeding the nest.  I need to fill them with sand, or something else that might make them feel more realistic so the hens won't kick them out of the nests.  The hope is that by seeding the nest that they will begin to use the other nests instead of just the one.

I'm contemplating getting an incubator to try and raise chicks from eggs that way, but I think perhaps I'll postpone for right now.  We'll let my new chicks come, we'll see how it goes, and then we'll go from there.  The reason being for even considering it is 1) I've got day olds coming, and it will be simpler if I were to get an incubator and hatch some more if they were all the same age and I could just introduce them all to my current birds at the same time.  2) I had hoped to get at least 1 easter egger, maran & olive egger, but all those were sold out so in looking online at the eggs available on e-bay and so forth, there are several available, I just would have to either drive to go get them and have an incubator, or have 2 batches of birds of two different ages.

My husband pointed out that I should be thankful for what I have rather that wishing for more than what I already have.  He's right I suppose, but I just think the maran and easter egger eggs are really pretty... that it might improve the appearance of my egg basket... but it will work out like it's supposed to.  Perhaps Rural King will have some some time or something like that.