I've got somebody with a loose vent in my coop

[Kelly FG]

about twice a week I get a brown egg in the poop pit under the roost. My girls only roost at night & the nests are very close to the roost. One of them must be on a night time laying schedule and is too lazy to bring her fluffy butt to the nest so she just drops it right there from 3ft in the air.
Now if my egg production wasnt so low(I've got moulters & girls coming off being broody plus cold, short days) I wouldn't mind much but every egg is precious these days & the ones in the poop pit are SOO dirty.

Anybody ever have this dilema? Suggestions on how to get whoever it is(I'm not sure) back in the nest?

 

[Poison Ivy]

I found one like that yesterday morning but I have sand under my roosts so the egg stayed pretty clean. Then I had that happen a month ago but it landed funny and it cracked it. I guess they get off cycle once in a while.

 

[warren]

My hens often lay at night. Night means 4pm to 7.30 am just now and they do not have access to their nest box during that time. It works out OK as they sleep in an old water tank on its side and I clean them out every day. I keep wood chips on the floor of the tank. You could put the culprit in a bed on her own without a perch??

 

[hinkjc]

I would pay close attention to what's going on at the coop at night. Hens usually drop eggs at night when they've been startled. Could be nothing..like wind...or could be major, like a predator or rats.

Jody

 

[McGoo]

I had that happen once and it was the morning after I brought some new hens into the coop. One of the new ones was probably really scared. It's not happened since.

 

[Kelly FG]

I also posted recently about a motion detector light outside the coop that my bunny can turn on by hopping to the far side of his coop, I think the light has been disturbing the girls. Today I covered a large window with fabric. We'll see if that helps!
Thanks!