Laying eggs from 5 ft roost?

[TigerLilly]

I know this is going to sound silly...
Is it possible for a hen to lay an egg from a roost that high & not have it break? I have a dirt floor with maybe 2 inches of pine shavings.
I got home late yesterday after being gone since early in the day, so I didn't check for eggs until after dark. Naturally, I checked in the nest boxes, found 2 eggs & was happy as a clam.
This morning I went out to collect eggs & found one in each nest, turned around & found one on the ground, right under the roost. It wasn't even close to one of the ends of the roost, which would make it in the middle of the floor area. If I'd been a little careless, I'd have stepped on the egg.
I know it's possible for one of the hens to lay it on the ground, but usually when they've done that it's been in a corner.
I sooo confused!

 

[Kittymomma]

It's very possible. Most of the "roost" eggs that I've gotten are from pullets that are just starting to lay. I think they get taken by surprise sometimes and don't head to the nestbox in time--same thing with "yard" eggs. Pullet eggs also tend to have really hard shells and I'm pretty sure that's why so many of the roost eggs survive intact.

 

[TigerLilly]

Now that you mention it, it did look like a 'rookie' egg--smaller than 'normal' for a bo or br. Also a different shade than what I've been seeing.
Yay--that means I might have 4 out of 5 laying!

 

[TigerLilly]

Well, haven't found any more roost eggs & I'm now getting 3 eggs a day. Looks like she's figured out how to get to the nest box to lay!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Yay for another layer!


Funny story on a side note- I dewormed my chickens a few months back and didn't know what to do with the eggs, (during the withdrawal time period) so we ended up collecting them every morning and have a throwing contest out onto the hillside... you would be AMAZED to watch an egg being thrown 50 feet into a gully and watch it bounce and roll down the hill... I know I was!!!

 

[TigerLilly]

Yay is right!

I have come to notice that store-bought eggs are not as hard-shelled as my farm fresh eggs.

Side note...the cat in your avatar looks just like mine!

 

[33yardbirds]

Could be practice for an upcoming bombing run.

 

[abhaya]

I think I got one this morning. When I went to let out the girks there was an egg under the roost. that roost is over my head about 6.5 feet up.

 

[7L Farm]

I found an egg today under the roost not broken yea. I let them out yesterday around 330 & one was on the nest. But she wanted to get out & run around so off she went. I think, who really knows . She returned after free ranging flew up to roost & it was to dark to go back to the nest. So, she launched it.

 

[Long Last Farm]

Any ideas on how to get them to stop laying from the roost? I know these roost eggs are coming from my Wellies--they are just starting to lay. I found TWO broken, frozen eggs underneath where the three wellies roost together. They roost close enough to the ledge around the inside my coop, so they are landed on the wooden ledge and broke, and froze overnight! YARG!!!! any suggestions? I don't want the others to acquire a taste for eggs and become egg-eaters!