- Apr 3, 2014
- 1
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Four of our six hens have recently started laying, and they got the hang of laying in the nesting boxes just fine.
Our fifth hen to start laying, an Ameracauna, layed her first egg in the nesting box 4 days ago. It was a rubber egg, but otherwise was no problem. Two days ago I went to do my morning routine at 6:30 and found her second egg (another rubbery one) with the shell out in the run, and a big yolkie mess in the coop with all the chickens voraciously attacking it. I quickly cleaned it up before they could finish it. I came out this morning (6:30am) to find her third egg again on the coop floor with the shell all smashed up in pieces and strewn about and evidence of some of the rest of the egg on the coop floor. The hens had obviously had more time with this one and had eaten it mostly gone. Not much to clean up after.
None of the hens will eat eggs in the nesting box, but apparently they are picking up the habit of eating green ones on the coop floor.
How do I get the Ameracauna to lay in the nesting box, so we don't have this egg eating problem? The nesting boxes are attached to the outside of the coop, have lots of pine shavings and have curtains. I know she knows how to use them because she laid her first egg in there.
Other information:
My wife has been checking the nesting boxes for eggs every couple hours, and I've been checking the coop and nesting boxes every evening after they go to sleep. The egg laying/eating is happening very early in the morning or in the middle of the night.
We have two nesting boxes for our six hens.
I stopped putting out oyster shells when I switched the whole flock over to layer feed (about a week ago), but the egg shells for all the other eggs are very thick (much thicker than any grocery store egg).
Our fifth hen to start laying, an Ameracauna, layed her first egg in the nesting box 4 days ago. It was a rubber egg, but otherwise was no problem. Two days ago I went to do my morning routine at 6:30 and found her second egg (another rubbery one) with the shell out in the run, and a big yolkie mess in the coop with all the chickens voraciously attacking it. I quickly cleaned it up before they could finish it. I came out this morning (6:30am) to find her third egg again on the coop floor with the shell all smashed up in pieces and strewn about and evidence of some of the rest of the egg on the coop floor. The hens had obviously had more time with this one and had eaten it mostly gone. Not much to clean up after.
None of the hens will eat eggs in the nesting box, but apparently they are picking up the habit of eating green ones on the coop floor.
How do I get the Ameracauna to lay in the nesting box, so we don't have this egg eating problem? The nesting boxes are attached to the outside of the coop, have lots of pine shavings and have curtains. I know she knows how to use them because she laid her first egg in there.
Other information:
My wife has been checking the nesting boxes for eggs every couple hours, and I've been checking the coop and nesting boxes every evening after they go to sleep. The egg laying/eating is happening very early in the morning or in the middle of the night.
We have two nesting boxes for our six hens.
I stopped putting out oyster shells when I switched the whole flock over to layer feed (about a week ago), but the egg shells for all the other eggs are very thick (much thicker than any grocery store egg).
