? first eggs ? Update

[ChickieKeeta]

I have 5 red stars 20 weeks old tomorrow. They have been doing the squat. I still havn't found any pullet eggs. They are in the run nearly 24/7. (they can go in & out of coop freely) I let them out for 1 to 2 hours nearing roost time most days. I am now keeping them in until I find eggs.

A few days ago they had been out only a few minutes when I noticed one eating something with gusto. Just 3 feet from the run gate she is loving the raw egg she is eating. There was the broken paperish/baloonish type shell in 2 on the ground. I sprayed it with the hose to stop the eatng.

I don't know who laid it. Did it brake spontaneously or did she peck it? I am concerned I may never get eggs if they have discovered egg eating at the onset of laying. I have since found no egg mess or shell of any kind. I am suddenly finding only about 3 eggs a day from my 8 laying hens.

What is going on?

 

[RendonRoo]

Sounds like you have an egg eater. I've read that it's hard to break them. May be time to find the culprit and cull. Good Luck

 

[TammyTX]

If you look in the "post your first egg pics" you'll see my first egg around page 96 or 98 (can't remember). It had that thin shell as first egg too but mine fell under the roost area. It looks like it tore as it fell through the roost but I did catch a hen pecking at it the next day.

So far, I have two EE'rs laying and no eggs have been pecked.

I added oyster shell and all eggs have been hard since that first one.

 

[ChickieKeeta]

RendenRoo
Not what I want to hear. Could be the truth but it would be a truly lousy break to have egg eaters at point of lay.

TammyTX
Thank you for offering a bit of hope. I added enough oyster shell to create concrete eggs. I'd rather have gold eggs, but......

 

[ChickieKeeta]

I got 4 pullet eggs today from 5 pullets. The most I got
before was 3. YAY!

Today one was in the run on the ground & 1 on the coop floor. 2 in a nest box.

I got NINE eggs yesterday for the very first time. I have 8 laying hens and 1 of them is brooding eggs. Six eggs were from the remaining 7 layers and 3 from the red star pullets. I have been finding pullet eggs for about a week.

I guess the soft shell broke & the pullet was eating it. I found no egg mess or shells since that one incident. The chickens had all day to eat these 4 but they didn't. The shells are smooth & hard & pretty.
Way to go girls!