First Egg Today! But Laid on the Poop Tray?

[GC-Raptor]

My 5 girls are 14 months old and once or twice a week I'll find an egg in pen, under raised coop, or under roosts. Most of the time it's Blondie. She was last to lay, laid many soft shells and still lays 2 or 3 a month. Once in a while she'll lay an egg right in front of me while I'm in the pen, (Why thank you Blondie). Sometimes an egg's gotta come out now, right now.
Most eggs are in nest boxes.
My first girl to lay was Boss at 16 1/2 weeks. I was there. She was trying to make a nest on floor of coop. I picked her up and put her in nest box and she stayed. About a half hour later she came out of coop, and this beautiful 43 gram brown egg was in nest box. GC

 

[Patinas]

My 5 girls are 14 months old and once or twice a week I'll find an egg in pen, under raised coop, or under roosts. Most of the time it's Blondie. She was last to lay, laid many soft shells and still lays 2 or 3 a month. Once in a while she'll lay an egg right in front of me while I'm in the pen, (Why thank you Blondie). Sometimes an egg's gotta come out now, right now.
Most eggs are in nest boxes.

Thanks GC, that's reassuring but she is just completely stressed out today after laying the egg & yolk I just posted pics of a bit ago. I just found her yet again in the coop, on the roost squawking away. No more eggs today but now I can't figure out if she's stressed, in pain, looking for her eggs or all three!

I think the next thing to do is take her off the roost and put her in a nest box. Not sure if that will stress her more or not but maybe give her the idea that the box is better than the poop tray.

 

[GC-Raptor]

@Patinas I wish you luck with your endeavor. GC

 

[aart]

Ok, new issue today with the same hen. So the first egg she laid on the poop tray two days ago was very small but normal looking and had a hard shell. I cracked it open and it was a perfect egg, just small.

Yesterday, she didn't lay anything and was fine.

Now, today, she laid two, maybe three? One was just a yolk, one was another small egg but with a very thin shell and then another weird thing that I don't know what it is.

Again, she laid them on the poop tray from the roost. She's also keeps going back into the coop, getting up on the roost, plops to the poop tray and squats. She's come out a few times to forage (free range) but keeps going back to the coop which is completely not normal for her.

It seems really weird to me that she would have laid two within a couple hours of each other. Should I just relax and let her sort it out??

Her bum is fine and vent is clear so maybe this is just oddities of beginning to lay??

Here are pics of what was on the poop tray this morning and a pic I just took of Martha, the new egg layer.

View attachment 1047743
View attachment 1047737

View attachment 1047739

Probably just new layer glitches.
Not too unusual for multiple eggs in a single day.
Most 'extras' will not be shelled.
It can take up to a month or so for things to smooth out.
Meanwhile, eggs everywhere, some of them can be rather funky looking, soft or thin shelled, huge double yolked eggs.

 

[Patinas]

Thanks everyone. I guess I just need to chill out and let the hens get it sorted out as they start laying. It's just unnerving when this is the first to lay and issues start already! I have 19 hens to go!! Geesh!

 

[aart]

Thanks everyone. I guess I just need to chill out and let the hens get it sorted out as they start laying. It's just unnerving when this is the first to lay and issues start already! I have 19 hens to go!! Geesh!

It is frustrating, especially the first batch of birds......you get used to it after a couple years, as it's just par for the course with newly laying pullets. Once the first one 'gets it' the others may not take so long as they have her example to follow.

 

[Patinas]

It is frustrating, especially the first batch of birds......you get used to it after a couple years, as it's just par for the course with newly laying pullets. Once the first one 'gets it' the others may not take so long as they have her example to follow.

Thanks aart, your comments made me feel better about the whole thing. I'll just be patient and keep an eye on them. I'll work on getting her to lay in the nest box.

 

[rowrena]

Ha ha, mine laid her first egg today, I found it on the poop tray when I pulled it out to clean, too! Found another in a bush near the coop. Looks like they will be spending a little more time in the run and a little less time free ranging.

 

[Patinas]

Ha ha, mine laid her first egg today, I found it on the poop tray when I pulled it out to clean, too! Found another in a bush near the coop. Looks like they will be spending a little more time in the run and a little less time free ranging.

So my hen isn't totally weird! I'm expecting her to lay again today so if I'm around for the event I think I'll put her in a nest box and see if she will stay in there. She seems to be on the every-other-day laying schedule. So far she has gone back into the coop to lay so that is a good thing! At least I know where to find the poop tray!