How can I make an Automatic egg harvester in Minecraft?

Question

I have a breeding area filled with chickens. What I'd like to do is set up the area such that any eggs laid therein are automatically shuffled out of the pen to a place where it's easy to pick them up.

My current thought is that because chickens float I could replace all the grass with water. Then any eggs would float to the bottom of the lake. However from there I'm a bit stuck, as I don't know how to collect them once they're at the bottom. I'm thinking a water current of some kind, but how do I accomplish that at the bottom of a lake?

Any other ideas?

Answer

I've always held water containing the chickens up with signs, so there can be air below it. Then place another stream of water below this to carry the eggs to wherever you want them.

C C C   <-chickens
WWWWW   <-chicken pool water
-----   <-signs
        <-air
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW <-collection stream

This should allow the chickens to float, but the eggs will sink into the collection stream. Let me know if this works out, haven't done this in several updates.

Check more discussion of this question.

loading..