Cracked eggs!

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

My 22 week old black australorp keeps leaving me cracked eggs. The nest boxes have pine shavings in them and whenever she goes to lay her egg, she will empty a lot of the bedding out of the box. And once she lays her egg it is cracked (by there being no bedding). How do I solve this?

 

[krickets]

Maybe you could glue down some vinyl or something in the next boxes, to make the landing spot a little softer? Sounds like she may also need some more calcium, if her eggshells are that fragile. I've only got a few eggs from one hen so far, but the free-range ones I buy from a farmer friend have really thick shells and wouldn't break in the 8 inch fall from a chicken's butt to the ground.

 

[klmclain1]

I have had that problem periodically (mine have been laying about 5 weeks now). Also BAs. It's subsided now that I've put a higher side on the ends of the nesting boxes so the shavings don't go flying out.

 

[ThinkingChickens]

You can use a little straw bedding which they might not be so inclined to throw out. Honestly, my Delaware takes all the pine out of the nesting box every single day, but her eggs don't crack when she lays them. I would suggest just trying a different bedding.

 

[southerndesert]

Staple a square of old carpet in the bottom of the nest box, add nest material over the carpet, change when soiled....