Egg laying at night -- ?

[P_Dub]

One of my new girls (acquired this past spring) has been laying since the end of September, and occasionally I would find one of her eggs in the coop rather than the nest box. This past week, she's left eggs there 4 days in a row, and my main concern is that the shells often crack when they fall from the height of the roost. I've been trying to figure out why she's periodically going back into the coop and laying from the roost, but this morning I found evidence to support one of my alternate hypotheses. Her egg in the coop had a big giant "sleep" poop right on top of it. So she laid it at night, or so early in the morning that the coop door had not yet opened ("Pullet Shut" on an electric eye).

I know that shell-less eggs are often laid at night, I imagine they just fall out of the chicken without warning. But a normal egg? And days in a row? She typically uses the nest box until there are these weird coop laying interludes. Anyone else ever had their chickens lay normal hard shelled eggs at night, more often than once or twice a year?

 

[nuthatched]

How many nest boxes vs hens do you have?

 

[aart]

So she was laying in the nests and now she's not?

 

[kismit]

one of mine will decide that if she can't have the Good nestbox because someone else is in it she'll lay near where she roosts. another will consistently lay under their 'porch' if someone else is in the best box in the world. lol the others are all identical but nope. everyone uses the one. or specific weird spots if the urge to lay hits 2 at once.


do you think its a situation like that early early in the day maybe? chickens start moving around as soon as its bright enough to see your hand without supplemental light.

other thought is maybe the gravity and position of being on a roost is helping pass an egg or two that was causing a difficulty?

 

[P_Dub]

I have 3 chickens and 2 nest boxes. Of course there's only one BEST nest box (though which one is best changes from year to year!)

She laid her very first egg inside the coop, but laid in the nest box after that, until ... this strange pattern of 2-4 days in a row finding the eggs inside the coop. Then back to the nest box.

My best guess thus far is that maybe her "cycle" has her ready to lay very early in the morning, before the electric eye opens the door, but I've never had any other chicken do this in the 10 years since I started raising chickens.

 

[P_Dub]

Oh, and my nest boxes are outside of the coop, not connected.

 

[aart]

Oh, and my nest boxes are outside of the coop, not connected.

Why?
Got pics?

 

[P_Dub]

Small coop up off the ground, essentially a roosting room, no room for nests. Not sure what seeing the nest boxes will tell you. There are two stacked atop one another, one is a converted cat litter box (the kind with a top), and the other is a wooden box inside a dog crate.

This year the top nest is favorite, last year it was the bottom one. There is a ramp to the top one, and it's on a platform so they can stand outside of it.

The coop and the nest boxes are enclosed in a run -- all sides and top covered with chicken wire and the bottom edges are buried in the ground to keep critters out.

 

[Australorpfamily]

My best guess thus far is that maybe her "cycle" has her ready to lay very early in the morning, before the electric eye opens the door, but I've never had any other chicken do this in the 10 years since I started raising chickens.

I have one that goes to the nest box before the nest light comes on. Similar to maybe your set up(which is why photos are helpful for layout) I have a raised coop for roosting, opens into a pen with nest boxes, which is open to a covered run(and under coop is giant dirt bath area) ...

So that said, I have a light over the nest boxes to help the girls see where they are going(it was recommended here somewhere lol) but I have one that if the door isn't open(auto) even before normal time or lights, she'll lay in coop.

I watched her one morning on the camera leave coop and hop in nest like 30min before light, so that could be a possibility?