Broken eggs in coop in the morning

[Guernsy]

My hens are young and just started laying. I have 10 hens and they are about three weeks in age apart. I have been getting about 4-5 eggs a day. At the beginning we had a couple of soft ones, however, after switching feed and giving oyster shells that went away.

In the past three days, I found two broken eggs in the coop under the roosting bars. They are always in the same spot. It looks like one or even two chickens are laying the eggs on the roosting bar and they fall down. This morning, I even caught one chick eating it, which I know is a bad thing since we don't want them to taste their own eggs.

How can I prevent that from happening? First of all, it creates a mess and I don't want to clean the coop every day. Secondly, I want them to learn to use the egg-laying boxes like the other chickens. I have ping pong balls in the boxes to mimic eggs. It has worked for the other chicks.

Any idea what I need to do with them? I don't even know which chickens are doing this.
Thanks,
Julia

 

[Casa de Pollo]

Can you block the roost inside the coop? I did that when my hen wouldn’t use the nest box. I used cardboard to block most of the coop except the nesting box. In my case the birds are outside in the day, only go in the coop to lay.

 

[Guernsy]

Can you block the roost inside the coop? I did that when my hen wouldn’t use the nest box. I used cardboard to block most of the coop except the nesting box. In my case the birds are outside in the day, only go in the coop to lay.

It appears that this chicken or chickens either laid the eggs very early in the morning or during the night. They were not there when I put them to bed yesterday. However, I found them at 7am this morning when I let them out of the coop.

I found eggs yesterday and the day before at the same spot. I just couldn't figure it out.
I thought maybe the hen came back during the day and sat on the roost to lay the egg.
However, as I said, not eggs on the floor at bedtime last night, but found them when I checked this morning. So it must happen very early in the am.

The hens have access to the coop all-day long, since the nest boxes are attached to it.
Haven't had a problem until three days ago.

If I block of the roosting bars, the chickens have nothing to sleep on.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Might just have to wait it out - not unusual for young layers to drop oops eggs off the roost, and it's normal for them to eat broken egg contents (doesn't necessarily mean they'll become egg eaters in future).

 

[aart]

In the past three days, I found two broken eggs in the coop under the roosting bars.

Are they good and hard shelled?

 

[Guernsy]

Are they good and hard shelled?

Whatever was left of the egg looked good and hard-shelled. I let them out super early this morning. They were loud and making a lot of noise at 7 am. When I went in the coop no dropped egg yet. Will have to check in a couple of hours.