Egg Emergency

[Chickiegirls2]

Hi Everyone...
I am finally getting my first few eggs...
Well, 2 days ago I went out to the coop to collect the eggs.
I saw one on the ground and picked it up...
It had no yolk and teh shell was broken! It was dark brown and I was expecting a full one the next day...
Now, the dark brown eggs that were supposed to be coming arent!!!!
Are they eating them or did one of my girls know she wasnt ready and stop?!
HELP!

 

[sheila3935]

When they first start laying you will get all kinds of weird eggs. They will also lay intermittently til their egg laying kinks get worked out. Dont worry before long they will be laying great.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

The fact that the shell was broken makes me think they ate it. It might have been cracked already though. It's a good idea to put a golf ball in each of the nesting boxes to encourage them to lay there.

Don't worry that you have a bunch of egg eaters...yet. I have a hen that occasionally drops an egg on the poop board. If it cracks they attack it and eat it, but they never purposely break an egg just to eat it.

And, ditto what Shella said as well.

 

[simplynewt]

How long should you wait before consuming the eggs produced by a new layer?

 

[runsw/scissors]

I don't wait, eggs are eggs regardless of how long the hen has been laying.

I've got two that are just getting started and little pullet eggs are really tiny coming from a bantam!