We are novice at this to say the least! So hoping those of you with more experience can lend some advice. We just got our first 2 eggs this week (more exciting that I imagined ), but this morning we found 2 eggs broken under the roosting branches in their coop ... the nest boxes empty. The first egg this week was in the box, but the last 3 have not. Have you ever heard of hens dropping their eggs from her roost, or is the location just a coincidence?? What should we do??
They seem to take a few weeks to learn the ins and outs of egg laying. It's not at all unusual for some of the first eggs to be laid from the roost. It's almost like they don't know what's coming at first. Hopefully, within 2 or 3 weeks, they will be accustomed to the process, and use the nests. If you haven't already, I would definitely put a fake egg in each nest. Probably most people use golf balls; that's what I use, because you can buy just a few cheaply at a dollar store. If you have one of those hollow plastic easter eggs, you can fill it with sand for weight and glue it closed, and that will work. They aren't fussy -- but it does seem to indicate to them that this is a good place to lay your egg.
I've got a leghorn doing that. I found an egg on the poop board yesterday and caught her in the act today. At least today's egg didn't crack. I just picked it up, showed it to her and put it in the nest box. Hopefully after a few times, she'll get it and stop dropping it from the roost.
I think the whole laying thing takes some new layers by surprise. I think it's morning, they wake up and are hanging out on the roost, thinking about jumping down and starting the day, and WOW something just FELL OUT OF ME. Of course, the other birds come take a look and the eggs usually broken and they often eat it right up (cause everyone likes eggs!). I kind of liken in to toilet training a toddler, in a way. It takes a while for the child to understand what those sensations mean and where to go. I think it's the same with the new layers. They just don't know what's going on yet. They usually work it out in a few weeks. edited--isn't it great to have these boards where you can be SO incredibly excited about an egg! I'll tell you, most of your friends and family are going to roll their eyes when you go on and on about your first eggs, but we always get it!
