High velocity eggs!?

[J.Pryce]

I use carpet squares- after a couple months, I replace them. I work maintenance so someone is always replacing carpet, so I pick some up & cut it into squares & store it in the coop until I replace the square that is to messed up to clean.

 

[Tropical Chook]

I think it may be just down to your birds being new at laying. My eggs all have incredibly hard shells, and I give them no oyster shell at all. They do free range though, so they get lots of greenery. While a nice hard shell does sound desirable, it can be a pain in the butt when you're trying to fry up an egg. I often have to smack the egg more than once, and in order to get a nice clean break, I need to crack it so hard that I often end up breaking the yolk. Too soft and we complain, too hard and we complain

Just wish I could teach the girls to come and lay in the egg basket in the kitchen

If I was you, I'd simply do as you are and see if things improve. You may want to increase the size of your lips however, rather than have all the nesting material kicked out daily.

 

[Judy]

I think the easiest to use is the rubberized shelf liner, a couple of layers, as it readily cleans with a hose. Not expensive either. My lips in the front of the nest boxes that work pretty well at keeping the hay in are about 4". Some of my chickens will scratch out a round spot in the middle of the hay down to the nest box floor no matter how much hay is in there. If you ever have you hand in the nest at the moment a chicken lays, you will be surprised how far it falls.

 

[Beckyinma]

Definitely sounds like a padding problem. Carpet or pine shavings under the hay?

I use the indoor/outdoor all weather carpet from HD. it is just a small 18x24 throw carpet that I got for about $2. I cut it to fit the bottom of the nest boxes. When it gets dirty I can just hose it off and let it dry over night, as it's an all weather carpet, no need to throw it away.

 

[claychickens]

I use foam egg shell on the bottom and cover it with timithy hay. and I have a four inch lip on the nest.

 

[alicefelldown]

Quote:
BINGO. Get a carpet sample square (or better yet, astroturf!) to go under the pine shavings. They are scratching it out and laying on the wood, which is why your shells are broken.

 

[Ohhhdear]

I have thick cardboard lining the nest boxes, covered with shredded newspaper. The newspaper's dead cheap, cleans out quickly if soiled, provides hours of entertainment for the girls who love to throw it over their backs and play with it, and it composts readily. Plus you can make a really fluffy nest of it on the cardboard.
The cardboard also helps insulate the nest boxes so they stay a bit warmer.

 

[luvzmychickens]

since there new to laying (and this happend to me too) they sometimes will peck a small hole in the egg, try to collect the eggs as soon as you can because this can turn into them eating the egg which im sure you don't want

they should eventually stop and leave the eggs alone (at least intill they go broody

) good luck and

 

[trunkman]

I had the same problem till I put more shavings in their nesting boxes which worked for me. Just try adding more padding of any kind that you can afford, scrap carpet, more shavings or straw, grass clippings or leaves, doesn't matter as long as the box is padded...

 

[becstalls]

UPDATE! Thanks for all of your help here! Turns out one of my hens was pecking at the eggs. I read on another thread that one way to solve it is to blow out an egg and fill it with mustard for them to peck at. I did so, and came home to find the egg devoured and mustard everywhere!

I thought for sure that the experiment had been a failure. But today, 5 eggs (the new highest number!) and none of them pecked!

I don't want to celebrate prematurely, but I'm hoping it worked!

Thanks to all for your great suggestions!