Cracked egg! :O

[Smallflockchickens]

So my BR just started laying, and 2/3 eggs have been either chipped, or cracked. I don't know if it is because shes curious and pecks at it, is not careful and cracks it, or I don't have enough bedding in the box. When I come out and gather eggs, the straw is bare in the middle, and scattered among the outside (like a nest). I don't know how o stop it, should i put more bedding in? Heres a picture if one of the eggs-

 

[audrey02026]

looks like she pecked it to me. My chickens move the nesting material so the middle is bare a lot too and my eggs are always fine even when I go away for the weekend I have no issues. Maybe you could try and collect eggs more often before she gets curious?

 

[Smallflockchickens]

Darn! I usually hear her egg sing around 12, and pick up at 12:30 for the others to lay, and get out of the boxes. (most of them lay by then). Oh well, I guess I'll just have to collect her eggs specially

I'm not surprised she pecks at them because the 4 I have raised in this batch just peck at EVERYTHING! Haha. I know they're just curious, but they especially peck at toes, fingers and anything peckable, more than my other batches have

. I thought they would grow out of it, but they're already 6months and well... still pecking. If you have any advice on that, it would be great

 

[Fierlin1182]

The lack of bedding shouldn't be an issue, I've had a chicken lay on bare ground before and the eggs were fine. It's probably pecking, as audrey said.

I don't know much about the topic as I've never encountered the problem before, but here are a couple of articles:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/pecking-canabalism-and-egg-cleaning-faq
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

There's some really good tips in the second article, I like the filling with mustard idea. Apparently there are even special types of nesting boxes you can get.

 

[Smallflockchickens]

Haha thanks for your tips! I really appreciate it!