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Laying eggs while sleeping?!?

post #1 of 4
8/28/12 at 9:02am
Thread Starter 

I went out to the coop this morning, expecting to find a few eggs in the nesting basket.... Instead I found one hard-shelled egg, completely covered in poo under the roost and one soft shelled egg, also under the roost... My girls get free choice of oyster shell and crushed up egg shells so Im not sure what could have caused the soft one. My three RIRs are 6 months old and none of them have ever had a soft shelled egg. The only explanation I can think of is that the soft one came from one of my EE pullets (4.5 months old). Theres no shell on it, not even a thin one, so I cant tell who it came from. Anyone have any explanation to why they would have laid an egg while on the roost? I saw them go to bed last night and once on the roost, they never get up while its dark.

~lenore~

 

 

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~lenore~

 

 

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post #2 of 4
8/28/12 at 9:07am

It happens with very young, inexperienced layers.  They'll usually sort themselves out soon.

 

I also find that since we are now 60 days past the longest day of the year, back in June, the shorter daylight hours confuse them a bit.  In June, the sun was up by 6 am, but  now, we've lost an hour already, and the sun doesn't rise until 7 am.  It's gonna get darker still. 

 

Give em time.  This stuff comes and goes, especially with young pullets.

 

 

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post #3 of 4
8/28/12 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred's Hens View Post

It happens with very young, inexperienced layers.  They'll usually sort themselves out soon.

 

I also find that since we are now 60 days past the longest day of the year, back in June, the shorter daylight hours confuse them a bit.  In June, the sun was up by 6 am, but  now, we've lost an hour already, and the sun doesn't rise until 7 am.  It's gonna get darker still. 

 

Give em time.  This stuff comes and goes, especially with young pullets.

Thanks! Just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong. 

Im really hoping the soft egg was from my EE and that she will start laying regular eggs after this fl.gif

~lenore~

 

 

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~lenore~

 

 

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post #4 of 4
8/28/12 at 10:21am

My RIR must have dropped her first eggs in her sleep because we'd find them very early.  They were soft shelled and right under where she roosts.  She layed three like that and finally figured out to use her nest and they have been hard shelled ever since.  I was worried but read so much about how that is normal sometimes when they are starting out.

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BackYard Chickens › BYC Forum › Raising BackYard Chickens › Chicken Behaviors and Egglaying › Laying eggs while sleeping?!?