broken eggs in nest box

[1birdlady]

We have 3 of our original 4 hens, now almost 2 yrs old.
Barred rocks.
They have been laying sporadically during these coolish dark months, one, two or NO eggs a day.
(We're in the Houston Texas area).

These past two days we are finding one egg smashed in the nest box.....then
today two eggs, one of which was smashed as well......?
First one was no yolk visible, but today yolk was there just egg all mashed up.

We regularly put pine shavings in the nest box, which they promptly kick out.

One nest box...lots of room.

Any ideas as to why we are all of a sudden getting smashed eggs?
Could there be a NEW egg eater, all of a sudden?
They get 20% egglayer, plus scraps and greens as they come up and free oyster shell.

TIA.

 

[ghillie]

I put carpet on the bottom of the nest box for a little cushion. Mine always dig to the bottom of the straw and we had found one egg that was smashed on the end. Since putting carpet in the nest boxes we have not had another. Not sure if this would help in your case but worked for us....

 

[Judy]

It doesn't sound like egg eating, since you are finding contents of the broken eggs, though it could lead there, I suppose. Did you know chickens actually stand to lay an egg, so the egg has to drop a short distance? Between this and their general clumsiness, it's easy for them to break an egg in an uncushioned nest box.

Besides carpet, some people use that rubbery shelf liner you find with the shelf paper. Easy to pull out and clean, and you can use more than one layer for extra cushioning. You might need to add a barrier across the lower front of your nest box if you don't have one. Mine would kick out pine shavings even over a 4" wide barrier. For me, switching to hay from pine shavings in the nest boxes solved the problem; they leave the hay alone. I was going to try the rubbery stuff under the hay next if it hadn't.

 

[Chick CJ]

Do your nest boxes have a ridge in front of them so the hens can't scratch out all the shavings? This usually helps.
Mine have a two inch board running across the front and this keeps the pine shavings in when the hens are trying to make a bowl out of it.
CJ

 

[TexasVet]

I've had the same thing happening this past couple of weeks. My personal opinion is that it's a combination of too little calcium and getting the egg-laying tract cranked back up. I went from 2-3 smashed eggs per day to none.

Lack of calcium was due to dear daughter feeding them all the cracked corn they wanted, rather than letting them eat Layena. I've cut back on the supplemental grain and added a dish of crushed oyster shell to the run.

Kathy in Bellville
www.ChickenTrackin.com