Do chickens lay eggs while sleeping on the roost? Broken eggs-help?!?

[VeraWiese]

I have had the same thing happen twice now, so I was hoping to find an answer. My girls have been laying for a couple of months now, and in the last 3 weeks I found a broken egg underneath them. One was a soft-shelled egg and the other one was normal. I wonder if shorter days have something to do with it, as somebody else mentioned.

 

[Haida]

Ahh, I was hoping someone else would have some insight... my turkey hen keeps laying eggs while she's roosting. I've found two so far. The first one was near her (so I sort of dismissed it), but the one I found this morning was directly under her. It was a cold night last night, and the egg was just a little bit warmer than the outside temp, so I kind of think she's laying them very very early in the morning? Fyi, I do chores at about 5:30-5:45 AM... oh, and she's a heritage breed (she's in my avatar).

I'm worried I'm going to start losing eggs or something, but I think I've gotten lucky so far. Her roost is about 48" off of the ground... if it wasn't for those wonderfully thick shells, I think both eggs would've busted.

I hope someone replies with how to get her to stop, lol! Next year I plan on incubating her eggs... I just worry that a fall like that would rupture the air pocket or something. *shrug*

Thanks!

 

[peacefulbean]

Just experienced this today and am glad to see it's not all that uncommon. I'm also wondering if whoever did it actually laid two eggs.

We have 5 young-ish hens. Our blue-green egg layer is molting and currently not laying. The remaining 4 are (or will be) brown egg layers. 2 of them just started laying last week. So far, I've been able to tell whose egg is whose because Gertie keeps laying hers on the floor.

Eleanor has figured out the nesting boxes and lays hers in there. The 2 ladies who've yet to lay are the same age as Gertie and Eleanor, so they should be starting any time now, too.

So this morning I went out to feed them and clean the coop and was met by TWO eggs directly under the roost. Right in the poop, of course. It was hard to tell because they were frozen, but one was broken and looked like it had a soft or non-existent shell. The other one wasn't broke, but had what looked like crack lines all over it. I tossed them both in the compost, but now I'm kinda wishing I'd brought them inside the house to thaw, just to see how hard the shells were. Our ladies have crushed eggshells available all the time and all the eggs we've gotten so far have all had really hard shells.

Then later today, Eleanor laid an egg in the nesting box. SO... either Gertie laid two from the roost last night, or by some huge coincidence we have a new layer that did the same.

Eeeeenteresting.

 

[Julic]

I love this website. Anytime something happens I can get on here and find the answer. This morning I found a broken egg under the roost right where my Dominique likes to roost. She is new to laying and has only given a few eggs so far. The egg was broken and the insides were out so hopefully no one was trying to eat it. I only have 3 chickens in that coop right now and nothing like that ever happened with the older girls. Hope it stops.

 

[jtbass2756]

I have a question..........Like everyone else I guess............My (2) RIR, 1 brahma, 1 golden laced wyndotte are just barely a yr old. Twice recently, about a week or so apart, I have found an egg laying i the run.. Up till now, they all have been laying in the nesting boxes. Now one of them at least is not making it to the box. I think its the wyndotte... What causes this?.... I've seen it in young ladies but these are relatively young hens.Nothing has changed except this crazy weather. But they are very protected although in a well ventilated coop. Since this is the first yr that I've been keeping chickens...I'm still a newbie. I had seen an egg on the poop board when they were first learning to lay eggs, but after this long...I just don't know. I only have 4 ladies and I have 4 boxes so its not like there's not room...although I do know how chickens fuss over the same box. That's the only thing I could think of is that she wanted in that box and didn't get into it in time...that's my speculation ...Anybody have any other ideas?

 

[mindmaid]

I am so grateful for forums like this. Thank you BYC and all of the people who post the questions and answer them. I have an ameraucana that has just started laying and have found approx. 4 or 5 eggs so far, all from under the roost, and all but 2 so far have been cracked or broken. The other 2 hens are new layers as well,(1 is a Black sex-link, the other is supposed to be a Barred Rock but looks like a Marans). Both of them seem to be laying in the boxes although I did find one out in the yard. They are all about 20 weeks old and newto laying so I hope they will get the hang of it.
I just put a golf ball in each nesting box to hopefully encourage them to lay in the boxes. I hope it works for the ameraucana,"Brownie".