Laying Eggs on the Roost?

[Kacey Elle]

Has anyone ever had a chicken lay an egg while roosting at night? I have three chickens and one nesting box that everyone uses. I've never found an egg anywhere else but the nesting box. In the last two weeks, one of my chicken's eggs has been next to the roost in the early morning. It happened three times and other days her egg was found normally in the nest box. I have DL but there was no "nest" outline around the egg like the hen purposely laid it there. No cracks or other signs that the egg dropped from a height. Am I crazy to think that the egg just...slips out while she sleeps???

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Is she a younger layer? Some just don't hold them until morning.

 

[DobieLover]

I have a hen who had always been an afternoon layer. Sometimes she gets caught off guard and ends up laying off the roost.

 

[Kacey Elle]

Huh. Good to know it's possible! I thought it was crazy. She's not young, though. She's two years old. A SLW, if that means anything.

 

[Clucker Mama]

Oh goodness, I'm so glad I searched for this very question! Out of my nine RIRs, two of them drop their eggs while roosting. I know they aren't actually laying them in the shavings below the roost because the eggs are standing upright in the shavings. And they are always in the same spots every morning. They just started laying last month, so I hope they finally figure out the nest boxes. Everyone else seems to have gotten the hang of it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Oh goodness, I'm so glad I searched for this very question! Out of my nine RIRs, two of them drop their eggs while roosting. I know they aren't actually laying them in the shavings below the roost because the eggs are standing upright in the shavings. And they are always in the same spots every morning. They just started laying last month, so I hope they finally figure out the nest boxes. Everyone else seems to have gotten the hang of it.

Some take a bit longer than others.

Welcome to BYC.

 

[aart]

Oh goodness, I'm so glad I searched for this very question! Out of my nine RIRs, two of them drop their eggs while roosting. I know they aren't actually laying them in the shavings below the roost because the eggs are standing upright in the shavings. And they are always in the same spots every morning. They just started laying last month, so I hope they finally figure out the nest boxes. Everyone else seems to have gotten the hang of it.

Those 2 have been doing that for a month?
How many nests do you have?
Put some fake eggs in the nests.

 

[Clucker Mama]

5 nest boxes for 15 pullets. I used ceramic eggs starting when they turned 18 weeks, and kept them in the boxes for a month and they seemed to get the idea and used the boxes. Except these two. And it always happens over night. The eggs are cold when I open up the coop in the morning (when it’s just starting to get light about 1/2 hr before sunrise).

 

[aart]

5 nest boxes for 15 pullets. I used ceramic eggs starting when they turned 18 weeks, and kept them in the boxes for a month and they seemed to get the idea and used the boxes. Except these two. And it always happens over night. The eggs are cold when I open up the coop in the morning (when it’s just starting to get light about 1/2 hr before sunrise).

I keep one fake egg in each nest, for years now, helps spread the love.
Have these 2 birds been laying for a month, or did they start more recently?
Are they low birds in the pecking order?

 

[Clucker Mama]

I keep one fake egg in each nest, for years now, helps spread the love.
Have these 2 birds been laying for a month, or did they start more recently?
Are they low birds in the pecking order?

Started getting eggs on Dec. 5th when they were just over 21 weeks. I don’t know who started first, but within three weeks, I was getting 8-9 eggs daily from the nine RIRs. I have no idea the pecking order. I do know one of the Whiting True Blues seems to be the dominant girl, but the WTBs were about 2-1/2 weeks behind the others in laying. And they are not as consistent, but at least ALL their eggs are in the boxes.

Of course, out of five nest boxes, the girls seem to prefer two of them as that’s where I find most eggs.