First chooks, First Eggs! questions!

[mtnchooks]

So, I got my first chooks in april an got my first egg yesterday!! very excited! I knew they were close to laying and literally went to the coop to install nesting boxes and lo and behold there was an beautiful egg by the door! I was so excited and yet upset that I had been late getting the nests in... I quickly set to work on that and a few minutes later another hen had laid in yard, problem is, one of them or several of them broke and ate the egg in the yard..... so from elation to frustration. I installed the nest boxes hoping for the best. Today I got another egg!!, my third now, but it was again by the door on the ground and not in the nest boxes!

so, by them eating that one egg in the yard is that gonna cause an issue, and do I need to be concerned about the few eggs Ive gotten being on the coop floor as opposed to the lovely new nest boxes or will it sort itself out? Ive got 22 hens and 5 roos fwiw, and I deeply appreciate all the help and apologize for the long winded post.... I love my little flock but fear I've bolloxed something up lol! Thanks Y'all !!

 

[SueT]

Are the nest boxes up now? I would put fake eggs in them, and not let the chickens out of the run until they learn to use the boxes.

 

[mtnchooks]

Are the nest boxes up now? I would put fake eggs in them, and not let the chickens out of the run until they learn to use the boxes.

yes, I got the nest boxes up within a half hour of that second egg that was laid in the yard(that they ate) . I got the first egg inside the henhouse by the door, second on in a matter of minutes but outside henhouse in the run which they ate before I realised it had been dropped, and the third today, again inside the henhouse but on the floor by the door as opposed to the new nests..... Thank you! I will go get some fake eggs tomorrow and put in the nests......!!

 

[SueT]

Okay, good luck!

 

[mtnchooks]

Are the nest boxes up now? I would put fake eggs in them, and not let the chickens out of the run until they learn to use the boxes.

also, just like one fake egg per nest or more? sorry for the stupid questions, just want my girls to do great!!

 

[SueT]

One is good, but if you have extras, put them in. I sometimes even put real eggs in a new nest I want to attract them to.

 

[mtnchooks]

One is good, but if you have extras, put them in. I sometimes even put real eggs in a new nest I want to attract them to.

Thank you SueT!!

 

[PirateGirl]

Sometimes an egg has a weak shell. Sometimes an egg laid on the ground or coop floor hits a bit hard and cracks and when this happens the chickens eat it. Just because they ate one egg does not mean you will have egg eaters. Your girls will become better at laying in the right spot and hopefully egg eating is not an issue. Broken eggs happen from time to time. I remember how excited I was to get my first egg and then how disappointed because it was all cracked on one end and I couldn't eat it myself. New layers are a bit frantic about the whole experience sometimes and those first few eggs hit the ground hard.

 

[mtnchooks]

And since I am on a roll, all these eggs arrived around 4pm, is that unusual, I thought early am was the norm.... Thanks again!!

 

[mtnchooks]

Sometimes an egg has a weak shell. Sometimes an egg laid on the ground or coop floor hits a bit hard and cracks and when this happens the chickens eat it. Just because they ate one egg does not mean you will have egg eaters. Your girls will become better at laying in the right spot and hopefully egg eating is not an issue. Broken eggs happen from time to time. I remember how excited I was to get my first egg and then how disappointed because it was all cracked on one end and I couldn't eat it myself. New layers are a bit frantic about the whole experience sometimes and those first few eggs hit the ground hard.

Thanks! makes me feel a bit better to know that!