Attack of the Killer eggs!

[shannondee12]

I have a coop that is 10X20 with only 4 Chickens and 4 ducks at the moment so there is plenty of room. I recently got 5 more bales of hay from the barn and stacked them in the coop, floor to ceiling. I stacked them all the way up but for 2-3 inches so that the chickens wouldn't roost on them and poo all over the bales since it was for bedding. Over the past 4 days, I have only gotten 2 eggs which I thought was just my girls slowing down due to extreme cold. The only thing that was odd was that the eggs were in the middle of the floor and they have always laid in the nest boxes. Over the past 4 days when I checked on them or feed them it seemed like they were waiting in line for the "one" nest box that was occupied even though there are others.

So yesterday I went to pull down a bale to put down fresh hay and 14 EGGS CAME CRASHING DOWN ON MY HEAD!!!!!
I know chickens will lay anywhere and I am not sure why it didn't dawn on me to look there but there was only 2-3 inches between the hay bale and the ceiling. I was a mess. Needless to say my hubby had a very long laugh when I walked into the house covered in egg mess.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

that is too funny. i wouldnt of thought they would lay there either if it helps any. at least they wernt roosting over your head. on a good note, they say egg wash is really good for your hair.hahahhaha

 

[shannondee12]

Well, I should have some really luxurious hair then! lol. My husband said "you are a farm girl, a country girl. You grew up with this kinda thing. How did you not think to look there" My only excuse was "brain fart"

 

[Granny Hatchet]

i get the same thing from my husband . city boy thinks i know it all. even my mother who lived on a farm most of her life just asked me, why do you hatch roosters if you are just going to put them down? i actually have my roosts over the nest boxes, so, ya. i try to be careful when i go looking for eggs. it hasnt happened yet but it will.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That brings back memories. I understand exactly what you are saying. I grew up on a small farm and one of my chores was to gather the eggs. I’m not going to say I always found all the nests, because I didn’t, but I can remember going through some contortions and climbing some walls to get to where they were laying, often in the hayloft. Have you ever tried to climb down a 10” high corn crib wall with an egg in one hand? One season it was a daily thing. She was laying in a slight opening between two bales above that.

I can also remember some very experienced chicken people on here surprised when I said I once had an opening 6” high on the front of a nest and they used it. As you’ve seen, 6” is nothing.

 

[sumi]

Where there's a determined hen, there's a way!

 

[shannondee12]

I am just glad my kids weren't home to witness it. It would have went viral on Facebook, twitter, instagram and youtube!

 

[shannondee12]

i get the same thing from my husband . city boy thinks i know it all. even my mother who lived on a farm most of her life just asked me, why do you hatch roosters if you are just going to put them down? i actually have my roosts over the nest boxes, so, ya. i try to be careful when i go looking for eggs. it hasnt happened yet but it will.

Maybe you should ask your mom how to not hatch roosters. That is a bit of information that I would love to know. My granny always said to take the smaller eggs and leave the big ones because they are always roosters. I haven't tried it yet tho.

 

[Banana Hen]

The eggs in the middle of the floor could be duck eggs, or the girls just kicked the shavings around after they laid. Surprisingly, I have never seen chicken eggs way up high, although I have found multiple eggs by our water heater, far away from the nest box!

 

[shannondee12]

The eggs in the middle of the floor could be duck eggs, or the girls just kicked the shavings around after they laid. Surprisingly, I have never seen chicken eggs way up high, although I have found multiple eggs by our water heater, far away from the nest box!

My ducks haven't started laying as of yet so it's not that. My guess they rolled or fell from the high hay bale. I have several inches of deep hay on the floor and the eggs were frozen so I tossed them because I thought the cracks were from being frozen when they could have been from rolling off the hay.