Laying egg in poop under roost

[annbacon]

Our chicken has been laying beautifully for about 1 1/2 months but over the past week has been laying in the poop pile under the roost. I have plastic eggs in all the nesting boxes. How do I change this behavior??? It makes egg collecting a little gross when I have to fish it out a pile of poop. Plus sometimes it breaks when it lands and so it is cracked AND in a pile of poop so i just throw it out.

Please help!

 

[speckledhen]

I don't know what to do about that. I've occasionally had one drop an egg from the roost, especially when there are new layers. Guess you may have to keep extra shavings under the roost so at least they dont break when they drop.
Hey, is your last name Bacon? If so, we're the East Coast cousins, then, LOL.

 

[Zenbirder]

I have one BR who insists she will lay on the poop deck over the nest boxes and under the roosts not in the nest boxes. Once she lays there and I don't collect the egg right away there may be others who join in. My solution so far is to clean out the corner where she likes to lay every morning and line it with fresh straw. That is all I know how to do, anyone else? BTW, I found cheep golf balls at the thrift shop, far superior to plastic eggs.

 

[chick-e-pie]

My hens are just starting to lay and I've found one egg in the poop under the roost. It was one of those paper thin shelled eggs and it had a hole in it. I'm not sure if it fell from the roost or if she sat there to lay it. I appreciate the advice from this thread.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Not very often will one of our chickens lay their eggs in poop, it has happen though. I will keep their pen especially under the perches clean and add new shavings regularly; I use the deep shaving method. I just clean the soiled areas and turn the shavings periodically so that if it ever happens it isn’t that bad and can be easily cleaned.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Are all your nest boxes elevated? If they are, you could also try adding one on the floor. Some chickens have preferences for one over the other. Even though most of the time, they all want to use the same one.

 

[annbacon]

Update - She has stopped this messy behavior!

back to laying in her nesting box, thank goodness! Thanks for everyones suggestions!

 

[hinkjc]

Ann, I just wanted to add that hens drop eggs off of the roost for various reasons. The two most common are: immature (new layer) who hasn't figured out the nest box deal yet and when they get startled in the night. Startling can cause the involuntary drop of an egg. I'm glad to hear she figured out the nest box, but if this recurs..I would check on what is going bump in the night.

Jody

 

[Davaroo]

The immature pullet, just dropping eggs at random from the roost is a funny image. Cant you see her there, chillin, when all of a sudden:

"Brrraaaaawk - what happening?? OMG, it's another one of those things coming from my butt! It's really big and..oh, it's gone now and has fallen down below. Ah, well, back to sleep..."

It is also a very good explanation for your situation.

It has always been advised that you cover the dropping pit beneath perches with wire mesh, for this very reason. It keeps the birds - and I suppose their eggs - out of the pooey-poo-poo.

 

[davecash]

well id clean the poop up if you didnt want the hen laying in it.