Help! Help! An egg was pecked into!

[Couture Family]

I found an egg on the floor of the run under the roost. It had been pecked into a couple of times but not all eaten or anything just pecked into as if they were just trying it out.

I don't know who or how many of them it was. Greta was just coming out of the nesting box laying an egg. But the others were on the floor in that area. I didn't notice the egg until I was leaving from picking up the eggs. There were two untouched in the nest. The one Greta just left and Gertrude's egg. Only three of my four girls are laying and they all normally lay in the nesting box. So perhaps this one sort of fell out while on the roost? Is it because she had to go but the box was busy? There is only one box but we only have four girls.

So does this mean I will have an egg eater? What do I do? If we have an egg eater or eaters my husband will "get rid" of my girls

. I love those girls. But they are on organic feed so feeding them is expensive only to have them eat the eggs.

Should I worry or no?

 

[Kelsie2290]

They just put a few holes in the egg, but didn't actually eat it? I wouldn't panic yet, but would take steps to try and prevent it from happening again. Be sure the nesting boxes are deep enough so they can't kick eggs out of it. Have fake eggs in there in case somebody tries pecking the ones in there. I would try to put up another box, you don't need a box for every hen, but if you have a box hog or a dominant hen that won't share and only one box, sooner or later you will probably have eggs laid in front of the boxes or hidden if one of the other hens couldn't hold it long enough for the other hen to leave. Whatever you are using for bedding, would make sure it is deep, especially under the roost so any dropped eggs don't break or crack if possible and aren't as noticeable. It isn't unusual for new layers to be off schedule and drop the occasional egg from the roost. Nice BYC article on breaking egg eaters https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/six-tips-on-breaking-your-egg-eater

 

[Couture Family]

Thanks for responding.

No, they didn't eat it. It just had wholes in it from where they pecked it. I'm not sure if anyone actually got anything out of it or not. I didn't see any yoke on it. But it wasn't broken up or anything.

It was way on the end of the run outside of the coop. So they would have had to kick it out of the nest, roll it out of the coop, down the latter and across the run. So I'm pretty sure someone sort of had an accident on the roost while in the run.

We have sand in there so it didn't break. And there is a deep layer of shavings in the nest as you suggest.

So you think maybe my girls are ok? Perhaps they wont associate it with eggs they lay in the nest since it was so far away?

I will have the Mr. put in another nest for just in case. He wanted to anyway but I told him one was enough so guess whose going to hear it when he gets home.

Oh, and there is a fake egg in the nest still because I'm waiting on my last girl to start laying.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I wouldn't worry about your girls at this point, and I absolutely hate egg eaters Didn't realize the egg was outside outside, hopefully they just saw something different/interesting to check out and, like you said, don't associate it with the eggs in the nest boxes. I always keep fake eggs in the nests, helps keep them laying in them, and if they decide to try pecking at them, hopefully they pick a fake egg and they don't get anywhere etc. Ya, I would go with two nest boxes if possible, just to be on the safe side, the way you remember it, you wanted two all along didn't you... or you want more hens, now there you have a reason.

 

[Couture Family]

Yea, that's it. I wanted two boxes. He's the one that said only one. Let's go with that

.

And that you again for the information.