Egg-laying issues

[TheRobinsons]

Couple of issues with our newly egg-laying hens...

Sometimes they lay their eggs while on their roost (during the night I think while they're sleeping?) and they fall and crack on the floor of the coop. How can we prevent them from doing this and/or will they just grow out of it eventually?

The other problem is that we have 2 nesting boxes for our 5 hens, they are IDENTICAL boxes. Lighting is the same, size is the same, bedding is the same. They all favor one particular box and none of them have ever layed an egg in the other box. This causes us to find up to 4 or 5 eggs all in the one box/day and it causes them to get upset because they sometimes want to lay in the same box at the same time! Meanwhile the other box is empty and perfectly usable! Silly girls Once one layed an egg in the run which is super unusual and I figure it's because their favorite box was occupied. What can I do to make them lay in the other box? Would it be a good idea to block off the preferred box and force them to get used to laying in the other one?


Any suggestions??

-Sarah

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It may be that they lay in the run when the fav box is occupied.
Put fake eggs or just a regular egg in the unused box and they may take to it.
It isn't unusual for all the birds in a flock to prefer to use the same nest.
Young pullets sometimes lay from the roost. That should work itself out. Just make sure you collect them quickly so they don't develop as egg eaters.

 

[TheRobinsons]

Thanks Chicken Canoe...I will try the fake or real egg placement in the neglected box and see if that helps. I try to collect them as timely as possible but depending on the day sometimes they do sit there all day until we get home from work but so far, none of them seem to be pecking at their eggs. They sometimes eat the ones that break open from falling or the softshells that can break open when layed but there's really no way of preventing that. Luckily they haven't figured out the connection between those tasty treats and their in tact eggs