Egg eater/hen laying in weird spot

[ChickyChickyChick]

As of a week ago I have one hen that will only lay her eggs behind a barrel in the coop, all of the others use the nest boxes and as of yesterday I have another hen that has been eating eggs after laying them. What could cause these behaviors to suddenly arise? I try to keep enough bedding in the nest boxes but the girls keep picking all of it out of the ones they use.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

What are you feeding? Sometimes low protein can cause egg eating and feather picking. I have never kept an egg eater. First time I catch them I cull. I make money off eggs and I don’t need one wasting.

 

[50-45-1]

They like it behind the barrel because its dark, and solitary.
I wonder if you could darken the nest area by adding some boards on the exterior where the cracks in the wall are.

 

[ChickyChickyChick]

What are you feeding? Sometimes low protein can cause egg eating and feather picking. I have never kept an egg eater. First time I catch them I cull. I make money off eggs and I don’t need one wasting.

I feed them a flock finisher that I also feed my ducks but I add oyster shell to the feed for the hens.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

I feed them a flock finisher that I also feed my ducks but I add oyster shell to the feed for the hens.

No treats? What percent protein is it?

 

[50-45-1]

Also the egg eating may reduce if you can darken the next boxes. They can not eat what they can not see.
If you know what hen is your egg eater, you could put some pinless peepers on her for a while and see if it breakes her from it.
They do work when you have problems with bullying, egg eating, feather picking and anything having to do with a chicken pecking on something you would rather she not.

 

[ChickyChickyChick]

No treats? What percent protein is it?

They do get treats, about a gallon bucket or more full of leftover veggies and fruit every few days and the protein is a MIN of 20%

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

They do get treats, about a gallon bucket or more full of leftover veggies and fruit every few days and the protein is a MIN of 20%

That’s a lot of treats. Should be no more than 10% of their feed they’re fed. It dilutes the protein quite a bit.

 

[Col1948]

I had a hen that laid soft shell eggs, sometimes she broke it as she was leaving the nest by accident, this led to either her or another eating the egg.
The others were all laying good hard shell eggs, anyway she has improved now and her eggs shells have got harder, no more egg eating.

Another thought about the one laying behind the barrel, can you move the barrel closer in so there is no room for her or put something else there in the way, she may start to go in the nest, or make a temporary nest out of a cardboard box somewhere closer to the other nests.