Can anyone help solve this mystery?

[KandJsmama]

We have 3 BSLs and 3EEs. The BSLs are definitely the more dominant chickens of the bunch. This morning two of the BSL's had laid in the nest box and I collected those eggs. When I got home this afternoon, I found the 3rd BSL's egg broken on the floor of the coop and the EE's egg broken in front of the door to the coop. (they free range during the day so the coop door is open.) Would the more territorial BSL possibly push the other eggs out of the nest box? Someone had rearranged the nest box bedding so I know there was a chicken in the box at some point after I left. This is the EE's second egg so I could understand if she was confused but the BSL is an old pro and always lays in the box. Thanks everyone!

 

[Charlie Chicken]

They could have been laid on the floor to begin with which could lead to rough treatment and/or breakage. Sometimes hens will scratch around inside a nest box to arrange things to their liking or some do it just for the heck of it. If you noticed that the nest box bedding was rearranged that would be a big clue. Providing a high enough lip on the nest front will usually prevent most eggs from being spilled out by accident.

I have had flocks in the past when hay was used as a nest material and there was an extra amount of scratching around inside the nest box. I had to switch over to using shavings to cure the problem.

 

[KandJsmama]

Thanks for the feedback Charlie Chicken. We do use the shavings too and I am always amazed how they compress them into such a perfect little concave indentations. Now if only those indentations contained the eggs!

 

[midget_farms]

most chickens are oblivious to eggs - they don't seem to know what they are unless they go broody. So if they found a strange egg in the nest they wouldn't do anything on purpose to remove it.

That said - I've seen my chickens prefer 1 nest & if it is full (more than 1 hen already in there) they sometimes drop them on the ground.

Unless you suspect the chickens are egg eaters - that is a different story all together. Egg eaters 'learn' how tasty eggs are & seek them out to eat. There is no way to fix that & the hen must be removed.

 

[cobrien]

If they are egg eating, do a search on BYC, have seen many posts on here on how to cure egg eating, for example poke a small hole in an egg, remove contents with a syringe and fill with hot pepper sauce or mustard.