Laying from perch?

[Little Deuce Coop]

For the last 4 days, I have found a broken egg in the coop away from the nesting boxes always in the same spot. I think it is being layed from the roosting bar. Is this possible? I have 8 young birds and 4 nesting boxes of which 6 use and a 7th nests right next to them.

 

[LilRedmamma]

For the last 4 days, I have found a broken egg in the coop away from the nesting boxes always in the same spot. I think it is being layed from the roosting bar. Is this possible? I have 8 young birds and 4 nesting boxes of which 6 use and a 7th nests right next to them.

It’s very possible and not fun. A hen will drop her egg if the alpha hen doesn’t let her down to get in the nest. One of mine does this too and occasionally they hence eat it.
Last week I changed the nests stuff and they all layed eggs in them ’yay’! I also removed the tree branch perches and put new boards up in a different way - now they’re not fighting for a spot.

 

[Little Deuce Coop]

Thank you. I will be getting new nesting material and maybe relocate a roost.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think it is being layed from the roosting bar. Is this possible?

It sounds like they might pullets just starting to lay. Some pullets anticipate the first egg by as much as a week and search for safe places to lay their eggs. I like these because their first eggs tend to wind up in nests, hopefully your nests. Six out of seven for you is not horrible and there is still hope for the 7th. But occasionally you get a pullet that seems surprised by that first egg. She may drop it wherever she happens to be, either walking around the run or coop or even from the roost. Typically these pullets gain control of the egg laying process in a few days and all is well.

This is usually not a problem but one time I had a pullet that laid an egg from the roost for about a month. She never did gain control. It took me a long time to determine which pullet it was and I ate her. There was something wrong with her instincts, I did not know any way to train her to not lay from the roosts. Some of the eggs broke but most didn't.

This was one pullet out of a lot over the years that would not learn. I've had others that laid from the roosts but that's usually their first few eggs. If it goes on for more than a week I try to determine which it is but I still give them two total weeks to straighten up. Practically all of them do.

 

[Little Deuce Coop]

Thank you for your help. None yesterday but one today. I’ll be giving her some opportunity to correct her behaviour before I send her to freezer camp. ;-)