Chickens keeps laying on roost please help!

[Sweet Road Island Reds]

Hey y’all I’ve seen this happen 2 times in the past few weeks. The first one looked underdeveloped didn’t think a whole lot about it. This morning I woke up to my chickens fighting over a shell and a broke egg on a roost. I let my 9 road island red hens (just hit a year) out every morning an hour after the sun rise, and half an hour after the sunset. Collectively almost 15 hours outside and it’s beeen a nice low 70 - 65 during the day. They eat layer pellets 16% protein with oyster shells. They do get bananas and other fruit on the side. Questions y’all could answer to help me: 1] is there something I’m doing wrong? (Dietary exercise food etc.) 2] is there any way to prevent this? 3] does this just come with age?

 

[aart]

This morning I woke up to my chickens fighting over a shell and a broke egg on a roost.

Was the shell good and hard?

They eat layer pellets 16% protein with oyster shells.

Are the OS in a separate container?
I'd cut out all the fruit for a week or so.
Might also think about switching to and all flock type feed with 18-20% protein,
will be good for them when they be molting and not laying later this fall.

 

[Sweet Road Island Reds]

Was the shell good and hard?


Are the OS in a separate container?
I'd cut out all the fruit for a week or so.
Might also think about switching to and all flock type feed with 18-20% protein,
will be good for them when they be molting and not laying later this fall.

Yes it was hard it looked normal and the OS is in the pellets. Could the fruit be making it worse? Most my hens hit the box. Also would I have to worry about too much protein? They forage all day on half an ache with tons of bugs. They look like they had a parshel molt on their chest it feather look broken off and are not regrowing fast.

 

[aart]

Yes it was hard it looked normal and the OS is in the pellets. Could the fruit be making it worse?

If the shell was hard, maybe it broke when it hit the ground?
A broken or softshell egg is fair game for eating, IMO.
Hard shells indicate they are not short on calcium, but may be eating eggs for the protein....or just a bad habit.
Are they eating any eggs in the nest?

They look like they had a parshel molt on their chest it feather look broken off and are not regrowing fast.

Broken feathers are not from molting....something else happened there.
Broken feathers don't grow back until the molt when they will fall out and new grow in their place.

 

[Sweet Road Island Reds]

If the shell was hard, maybe it broke when it hit the ground?
A broken or softshell egg is fair game for eating, IMO.
Hard shells indicate they are not short on calcium, but may be eating eggs for the protein....or just a bad habit.
Are they eating any eggs in the nest?


Broken feathers are not from molting....something else happened there.
Broken feathers don't grow back until the molt when they will fall out and new grow in their place.

No they leave the eggs in the nest alone even a non broken one the leave. When the yolk is broke they go crazy. Could the broken feathers be from stress? We’ve had some major heat fluctuations these past few weeks. Or picking from heat?(my broody hens pick their under bellies) It’s raining and cold not but last week we were hitting upper 90’s daily. I try to keep them at ease as much as possible.

 

[Yardmom]

An occasional egg lain from the roost is not uncommon. I think it happens more with younger hens. It sounds like you are doing fine. Seperating the oyster shells would allow hens to regulate there own needs better, but is not related to roost laying.

 

[Sweet Road Island Reds]

An occasional egg lain from the roost is not uncommon. I think it happens more with younger hens. It sounds like you are doing fine. Seperating the oyster shells would allow hens to regulate there own needs better, but is not related to roost laying.

Okay thank you!

 

[Farm Up North]

I have a Cochin that has done that her whole life. I just let her and not worry that I lose an egg, as she is just fine otherwise.