Do They Lay Eggs While Roosting or in their Sleep?

[Fluffy2]

Found a soft egg in the morning poop pile from the roost from last night. ??????? These are the first eggs for our 4 new hens who are about 18 weeks. If the shell is soft, maybe she doesn't know she is laying an egg? So it was broken with the pile of poop just under the roost from last night.
The roost is a 2x4 about 6 feet up . The nest boxes are about 8 inches off floor and have straw and fake eggs.
Does this sound normal for new layers? Do they sometimes pass out an egg and have it drop like that? Don't they have a warm fuzzy feeling about laying an egg down into something??? seems odd.
thanks for the help.
Fluffy2

 

[Fred's Hens]

That's how it starts quite often. Normal.

 

[Mtn Margie]

What are you feeding them? Sounds like you should be offering oyster shell in a cup, free choice. Those first eggs can be laid anywhere. A soft shelled egg is a calcium problem - usually. If you already have the oyster shell available, then it might just be a starting up quirk that will work its self out in a couple of weeks.

 

[buckabucka]

I had that happen too. I even had one hen lay hard-shell eggs off the roost consistently for months, but she eventually grew out of that (yes, they did break).

Free-choice oyster shell is always a good idea too. Things will settle down.

 

[Fluffy2]

Thanks so much. Now she just disappeared and we searched for 2 hours at 1 pm and found her under a bunch of scrap metal behind a shed looking very much comfy in a nest of pine needles. She is there NOW! She is the new layer. Should I grab her and egg if there is one and lock her in coop with the pine needs she has chosen? I hate to have her out in the worst part of the yard.
ok to grab her and move her now on first outside lay?
PLEASE HELP!
THANKS
FLUFFY2

 

[spotstealer]

My first egg also was an omlete bomb dropped from the roost. After that, it has been smooth sailing!