Chickens randomly dropping eggs

[billmac]

I doubt there's any way of preventing this, but do any of you have hens that simply "drop" an egg while they are walking around or roosting? Is this just a random happening or if a hen does this, is this the way she always does it?

I've had an egg eating problem, that I thought I was getting ahead of, but twice we've seen a hen drop an egg onto the ground and the chickens are literally on it within a second. I think I'm getting them to leave the eggs in the nests alone.

Any ideas?

 

[JakRat]

When mine first started laying they would randomly lay eggs around the nest or near by... I have had several shell-less eggs and they eat those right away... from what I have been told, as long as they arent puposely breaking and eatting their own eggs then it is ok... not good, but not bad