Finding one egg a day crushed when opening coop

[ornurse25]

We have 10 chickens in our coop, 6 red sex linked and 2 white leghorns. We have four girls laying. They were always laying in their nesting boxes. Every once in a while we would find an egg on the coop floor crushed when we opened it up in the morning. It is getting more frequent. Does anyone have any thoughts why? We have four nesting boxes but the girls only use two of them. Its very frustrating to lose eggs like this, any input would be appreciated!

 

[redsoxs]

When you say crushed do you also mean eaten? Is the shell thin or like it should be? If it's just thin and a silly crushed, are you providing oyster shell for calcium to harden up th shells? It's not unusual to find many eggs in a single box. For reasons known only to chickens, they tend to have preferred boxes. If you have an egg eating chicken it can be a real problem. Here's a link that's talks about it https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

 

[aart]

I'm guessing that they are new layers.
Not unusual to have soft or thin shelled eggs with new layers in the first month or so.
Soft or thin shelled eggs are fair game for eating as they are easily broken open, and they are often laid outside of the nest.

It could be that another pullet has started laying and is tearing up the nests, as is usual before they lay their first few eggs, and might be kicking an egg out of nest....and or might be the one laying the soft eggs.

High fronts(3-4") on nests can help keep eggs in nests, fake eggs/golf balls can help 'spread the love' into other nests.

Just some thoughts...more info and pics of nests might help.

 

[carlf]

Its normal.
Frustrating yeah, but its part of having chickens.
Pullets lay eggs all over the place when they start.
In the coop.
In the run.
Even on the roost at night.
Tiny pullet eggs, soft shells, paper shells, no shells, double yokers. All normal.

Are your egg boxes elevated? If so, eggs might be getting kicked out by inexperienced pullets as well.

Post some photos of your setup!

 

[Roosurdaddy]

I did my morning check before sunrise today to find a couple of my hens had dropped their eggs off of their roosting pole during the night to the floor below. I wonder if it is laziness on the hens part or if their sleep cycle is so calming and or deep that they would rather not get up to use the nesting boxes. I noticed when they were chicks, that they would freak out during the day when you tried to pick them up, but come dusk, they would settle in a corner, get super calm, and I could pick them up and carry them with no problems and place them into the coop for the night. So I am thinking that they get so relaxed, they just let the eggs go wherever they are at during the night.