Chat room for non religious poultry keepers! :D

[SandyRiverChick]

I don't like pickled cucumber

There is a strong chance that krinkle cut frickles dipped in ranch would change you on this. Just sayin.... But stay away from the spears!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I'm out there checking every hour because they seem to like to peck holes in the eggs, so I'm trying to catch it right away, but they're so irregular - it's exciting and maddening all at the same time!

Are your nests well bedded, never bare floor that they lay eggs on? I've noticed that a lot of the damage people assume is a peck is actually in my experience from an egg hitting the floor too hard and cracking slightly, then the air cell forms and pulls the shell in a bit so there's a hole. This is what that looks like (not my picture, google images to the rescue there!).

Actual egg pecking tends to leave a large opening and little or no contents remaining within the egg--if that's what you're seeing, then yes, that's pecking for sure. The only real solution to that is what you're doing, collecting the eggs as often as possible to prevent it, or you could install roll-away nest boxes so that the eggs roll out of reach before they can be pecked.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I don't like pickled cucumber

That's the only way I'd eat a cucumber. Pickled, or none at all.

 

[MysteryChicken]

The roof of my mouth blistered immediately, and I could only drink Mai Tai's for days after....

I've burned my mouth, many times, but more so with soup then anything else for some reason.
It's no fun.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Are your nests well bedded, never bare floor that they lay eggs on? I've noticed that a lot of the damage people assume is a peck is actually in my experience from an egg hitting the floor too hard and cracking slightly, then the air cell forms and pulls the shell in a bit so there's a hole. This is what that looks like (not my picture, google images to the rescue there!).

View attachment 3390895

Actual egg pecking tends to leave a large opening and little or no contents remaining within the egg--if that's what you're seeing, then yes, that's pecking for sure. The only real solution to that is what you're doing, collecting the eggs as often as possible to prevent it, or you could install roll-away nest boxes so that the eggs roll out of reach before they can be pecked.

This is really good info, thank you! I do have thick nesting pads in the nest boxes, but only one of the 7 eggs - the one with the big hole - has been laid in the nest box. The 2 perfect pullet eggs I got were both laid in the corner of the run.

This one was in the nest box:

This one was in the back corner of the coop:

The other 3 were soft shelled and laid on the poop board some time overnight (or VERY early a.m.).

 

[MysteryChicken]

Are your nests well bedded, never bare floor that they lay eggs on? I've noticed that a lot of the damage people assume is a peck is actually in my experience from an egg hitting the floor too hard and cracking slightly, then the air cell forms and pulls the shell in a bit so there's a hole. This is what that looks like (not my picture, google images to the rescue there!).

View attachment 3390895

Actual egg pecking tends to leave a large opening and little or no contents remaining within the egg--if that's what you're seeing, then yes, that's pecking for sure. The only real solution to that is what you're doing, collecting the eggs as often as possible to prevent it, or you could install roll-away nest boxes so that the eggs roll out of reach before they can be pecked.

I had a hen that would move eggs roughly, & make a dent just like that with her beak.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

This is really good info, thank you! I do have thick nesting pads in the nest boxes, but only one of the 7 eggs - the one with the big hole - has been laid in the nest box. The 2 perfect pullet eggs I got were both laid in the corner of the run.

This one was in the nest box:
View attachment 3390898

This one was in the back corner of the coop:
View attachment 3390899

The other 3 were soft shelled and laid on the poop board some time overnight (or VERY early a.m.).

Ah, yeah, that's not from hitting the ground too hard. How did the shell feel on these, good and thick or a little bit more fragile than a normal eggshell after cracking it? I wonder if they're weaker-shelled just because the birds are new at laying and not gotten the 'formula' down yet, and maybe those eggs are being stepped on and punctured by a claw rather than pecked? I imagine if they pecked that opening in the first picture that they wouldn't have left the contents of the egg. Chickens are crazy about raw egg for some reason.

 

[MysteryChicken]

What's everyone having for dinner tonight?
Bean Soup is what we're having.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

How did the shell feel on these, good and thick or a little bit more fragile than a normal eggshell after cracking it?

The shells feel pretty normal, perhaps a little thin, but not abnormally so (except for the ones on the poop board, lol).

I wonder if they're weaker-shelled just because the birds are new at laying and not gotten the 'formula' down yet

This is very possible. These are my very first chickens, so I don't have anything to compare it to (other than store-bought eggs).

I imagine if they pecked that opening in the first picture that they wouldn't have left the contents of the egg.

That's what I keep thinking! Like, if they had pecked the eggs, they would've eaten the whole darn thing! But it sure looks like they're pecking them.

Keeping my fingers crossed that all of these oddities will work themselves out once all of their systems are "online" and eggs are just a regular part of their day. Right now, eggs are still pretty novel to these gals!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

What's everyone having for dinner tonight?
Bean Soup is what we're having.

Honey glazed chicken and broccoli-cheese orzo.

Keeping my fingers crossed that all of these oddities will work themselves out once all of their systems are "online" and eggs are just a regular part of their day. Right now, eggs are still pretty novel to these gals!

Yeah, and those first eggs can be weird. Hopefully they'll get things figured out soon for you. After a few weeks I'm sure they'll be laying like pros!