Found eggs!!

[chickpitts]

We have been waiting for months for our girls to start laying. Today I find 2 nests in the pasture with about 15 eggs!!!! How do I know if any are still good to eat? And how do I get the girls to lay in their coop so I can find them?!? Thanks for your help.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I, personally, would not consume the eggs in the discovered nests.
Do you have an enclosed run that can be used to "home" the birds to your coop for a week or so? If so, simply keep them in the pen, bait the nests and let nature take it's course - since they will be unable to get out and visit the nests they have chosen they will start to look for nests in the coop and (hopefully) use the nest boxes. As birds of habit, they *should* continue to lay in the nest boxes for the most part once you start allowing them to range again, though some are just free spirits and will fight you every step of the way by getting sneakier and sneakier about nesting elsewhere. Unfortunately, right now, the habit they have formed is to lay elsewhere, so you are not just building the desired habit, but also unprogramming the unwanted one. If you are up to it, consider it a daily Easter Egg hunt on those days you find your count in the boxes to be suspect *or* you can confine them for most of the day and release them once most of the eggs you would expect for that day have been laid.

 

[Anuthatch]

HI - I use the egg float test. You can find it by Google. I do eat the eggs I find hidden if they pass the float. No issues so far.

Before I knew about floating eggs, I had a goose egg blowup in my kitchen. Rotten egg went everywhere. And of course we had company. We all ran from the house gagging - even my husband who has a nose of steel.
That egg must have been really old! I was taking care of my friends horses and we found it in the goose run. We'd had her eggs before so just assumed it was fresh.

 

[chickpitts]

Thanks for the advice! I'm hoping to avoid exploding eggs

. Idon't have a run just the coop in the pasture. Will it stress them out to stay in the coop for a few days? I'm thinking I'll leave their current nests in tact so at least I know where to look if I come up short on eggs. Thanks again.

 

[rc4u]

one of my bo's flew the fence every day and laid in the cucumber plant the had a nice center open spot with the veins overhead.and ate a nice little snack while there..wouldnt stop till last week when we cut the plant for fall....now lays in the boxs with the rest....seems theres always a few when they start especially that just lay where they are...

 

[Anuthatch]

HI,

Just wondering how you are making out with finding your eggs? Did you leave them in the coop a few days? I'm pretty certain they wouldn't like that so much but it might do the trick. Or might not. I know some who move out as soon as they get the option or think their egs are being "stolen." You just have to try it and see.

I'm having a hard time with my free rangers, too. I love them but searching for eggs is not what I had planned. At this point I'm hoping she (only 1 laying so far that I know of) will just keep laying in the same "hiding" spots so I can find them. It is sort of exciting to "find them" but I'm not really liking all the crawling around on my knees and pulling back cover just to find spiders or disgusting stuff.

Following them around all day is also not very good use of time although they are pretty entertaining.

Moved our "in coop nesting boxes" to the floor. They were a foot off the ground. Might try some wooden eggs. The golf balls aren't attracting. Have you tried this?

Tried closing them in the run/coop but my heavy breeds who are not supposed to fly over 4 feet, flew out over my 5ft fence. And of course just the one laying flew the coop. I think I moved her launch pad but I feel so bad leaving them in when they love to roam around.

Considering making some "free range" nesting places in locations that they have chosen. I'd be happy for any pattern but not random. Please, please!

How about you?