Ate her egg

[Mikee1948]

One of my two young australorps started to lay, 1 small egg a day for two days in a row, then nothing. Then I saw her running around the run with this white gooey thing in her beak. I am sure it was what once was an egg. I've heard they might lay soft ones in the beginning. She's trying to lay I think. Today she followed my RIR into the coop and sat next to her in a box, but no egg.

 

[Bullitt]

You might try putting at least one golf ball or an artificial egg in each nest. If a hen pecks it, it will hurt her beak and teach her not to peck eggs. It also lets the hens know where to lay eggs.

It may be difficult to break a hen from eating eggs once she has started, though.