Hi all, Finally got my 1st egg today!! Yey!! Not all fun thought........., Decided to give the coop a good clean out today, which ment taking every thing out and giving it a good old scrup and disinfect. so i get it all done and decide to leave the nesting boxes, pearches etc out side to dry off in the air for a wile. Thats when it decides to rain. Oh No! so i rush out to get everything back inside the coop so thegirls are not stuck out in the rain. Thats when i descover it, in the middle of the run!! My joy is short lived, those greedy hens of mine have half devoured it! Gutted so i take it off then, give them a sturn telling off then continue to reassemble the coop!! What a Day!! I have heard many stories off hens eating there eggs and developing a taste for it, is this true?? I am hoping the fact that she layed outside due to the coop been empty, they thought it was food as they normally come out in a morning and thats where i feed them outside! Hopefully now with the coop back up and running, that tomorrow i can get up and have some eggs waiting for me, that are whole and not been shared with the rest of the hens!
Congrats on your first egg Try putting some golf balls in the nest boxes. The golf balls should teach them where to lay eggs and that if they peck at eggs nothing will happen.
Golf balls, ping pong ball, fake ceramic or wooden egg. Believe it or not, if you have a rock they will use it- I've seen old farmers paint a rock white. (don't confuse with White Rock hen) I do have to tell and I don't mean to hijack your joy, its such a super day regardless to where you found that egg! My Bantams live in a hutch sharing the pen with the big girls. Yesterday I found Scooter, Kathleen and Lucy (all of them) in the big girls nest box trying out an egg! The real joke is Scooter, the roo, was sitting on the golf ball!!!! Each of the girls had 2 eggs under their wings (standard size eggs). I wish I had a camera, honestly our pet hens are not dumb, but gosh it makes me wonder how in the heck I managed to get a bunch of comedians! Enjoy, your going to have more eggs then what you know what to do with shortly- now you have 1...more to follow! I'm so excited for you! Its such a great day!!!
Congrats on your first egg! Those golf balls will work. We call them "training wheels." BTW, now when my girls are out free ranging, they will go back to their coop to lay an egg. However, when they FIRST started laying, one laid out in the yard and they all broke it and ate it. I freaked out - but it never happened again. Maybe the change in scenery? Dunno. But don't worry too much about it. Just try to get out there and collect the eggs as soon as you can right now while they're still in the learning phase.
Over the years, mine have eaten a couple of eggs that got laid in the wrong place. I think they just got broken, when trampled in the walkway. None of them ever turned into egg eaters. Try not to worry and enjoy all the eggs to come.
My hens pretty much always lay their eggs in the nest boxes. The few times they have laid outside (they are free range during the day and go back to their boxes unless the gate gets closed by accident) I have not had any to be eaten that I know of. But the minute we collect the eggs into the basket they think it is snack time. Honestly, we set the basket on the ground while we collect and if they are near they will come over and start pecking at the eggs. We have to really watch out and have to put the basket up on top of something to stop them. Crazy hens.
well after yesterdays fiasco, i have been checking them every couple of hours today just incase they lay and think dinner time!! I noticed that debbie, the one thats started to lay has been in the nesting boxes and when she was inside for a wile i decided to go check on her. as normal when i get to the coop they all come around and follow me as did debbie. Right before my eyes plop, she drops it rite in front of me!! so befor the others get a chance i swoop in and take it. my only worry is that this is the second egg layed and it was out in the run again, maybe its just because she came out to see what was happening with me been in the run and all!! Off to buy some golf balls me thinks lol!!
