Hen laying eggs at night from the roost

[chickentender8]

Today is the second day I have found an egg on the floor of my chicken coop. I think one of my hens is laying eggs at night from the roost. I have found the eggs right below the roost where they sleep at night. Not really sure who is doing it and why. I have six nest boxes, (eight hens) and they have always used the nest boxes. Does anyone have any suggestions on this egg laying behavior?

 

[aldarita]

I had the same situation today. I found an egg under the roosting box (first time this happens) I have 9 hens and 6 nesting boxes. I have noticed that they fight for the very same nesting box (the other ones are empty) it seems they like the one that has eggs already laid. I believe my hen laid her egg on the hay under the roosting box because their favorite nesting box was already taken. Could this be the case with your hen? maybe she laid it very early in the morning when her favorite nesting box was occupied. I put some ceramic eggs in the adjacent nest box and now they are laying in both. I am placing more eggs in another box maybe this way they won't fight for the same boxes and they will have more to choose.
Was the egg cracked when you found it? did she laid it from the roost or just under it on the ground?
chickens will never ceased to amaze me, they come up with these crazy behaviors that don't make much sense to us humans.
I caught my darling barred rock getting into the nest when there was a hen already sitting in it, she did not stop until the other hen left the nest, in the mean time, the other 5 nests are empty and as comfy as the one they fight for, go figure.

 

[chickentender8]

My hens only like 3 of our nest boxes, and those get used all the time! The egg I found this morning was cracked, so I am sure one of the hens laid it while up on the roost. I can't figure out why though. I have 2 ameracanas who are not laying right now, I know one had gone broody and then she started molting, she is starting to look like her old self now so I hope she will start laying again soon, the other one does not look like she is molting, and has not been near a nest box for about a month and a half. I don't know what is going on with her. I am thinking that maybe the cooler weather has something to do with it, but since I don't know much about chickens that is just a guess!!!

 

[mrsc1951]

My hens only like 3 of our nest boxes, and those get used all the time! The egg I found this morning was cracked, so I am sure one of the hens laid it while up on the roost. I can't figure out why though. I have 2 ameracanas who are not laying right now, I know one had gone broody and then she started molting, she is starting to look like her old self now so I hope she will start laying again soon, the other one does not look like she is molting, and has not been near a nest box for about a month and a half. I don't know what is going on with her. I am thinking that maybe the cooler weather has something to do with it, but since I don't know much about chickens that is just a guess!!!

It's not necessarily the cooler weather but the shorter days. Chickens need about 14 hours of daylight to lay regularly and the time frame you describe coincides with shorter days. Also she could be going through a much less dramatic molt. One of my girls lost only a few feathers but her comb and wattles paled and looked dried up for over a month during which time she didn't lay.

 

[aggiemae]

Oddly, I too found a cracked egg under the roost yesterday. I didn't get out to open the coop until an hour after sunrise which is unusual but i was surprised that they were all still up on the roost waiting for me. They jump down and right out as usual and I found the egg when I cleaned out the coop in the late afternoon.

It happened once in the summer, but that was a strange egg with a soft semi transparent shell something I have seen a few this with other young hens.