Getting cracked eggs

[AndyL]

Does anyone have any quick ideas/answers to helping me solve my cracked egg problem? I have plenty of wood shavings in the coop and some nice foam rubber on the bottom of the nesting boxes but some of my eggs still seem to be cracking before I can collect them. Any ideas would be appreciated! Thanks

 

[RickiHupp]

Do alot of chickens use the same box? They might be accidently stepping on them?!

 

[jafo]

I'd guess either the foam rubber ain't thick enough or the hens are kicking 'em around and cracking them themselves. Our birds have nice nesting boxes with shavings mixed with hay, but prefer the old bread rack under the poop board full of hay. We have'nt had a crack ever.

 

[7cutechix]

I get one once in a while when they move the straw around to a bare wood bottom in the nest. I put more straw in and fluff it up. Maybe they need more calcium for a stronger shell? Do you grind up their shells and feed it back to them? Or give them yogurt? Any extra calcium might help.

 

[tdgill]

mine also scratch the straw away till just the plywood bottom, and no cracked eggs, even when i hear them plop onto the plywood! hahah. guessing more calcium. oyster shells and their eggs shells too.

 

[twister]

OK, THIS exact thing happened to me , b.c. I switched from hay to shavings in the nest box. After a lot of messes of broken eggs and cleaning that box of gooey egg remains... I switched back to lining it w. HAY. NO more broken eggs. I will NEVER go back to shavings.

Had only 3 hens laying in that box. Also, good reccommendations above about upping their calcium intake, crumble egg shells and feed back to them, yogurt, and supplement w. oyster shell ( can get this at your local co-op)

here's ms. turkey, doing her thing! ( she must be thinking w. her lil evil eye... 'back away and no one will get hurt!" lol )