Laying while roosting?

[RebekahMarie]

I have 7 laying hens and 4 more that could start laying anytime (around 21 weeks old).

Anyway for the past few mornings I’ve been finding a soft shelled egg, broken, underneath the roosting bars. It’s broken but not eaten, so I think it’s falling and breaking rather than being pecked open.

Has anyone ever encountered this before? Is this a new-layer thing that will work itself out? I wasn’t worried at first but it’s been every morning for a week or so!

I give them all flock feed and there is crushed oyster shell available at all times, separately.

 

[Disheygirl]

One of my girls did thay when she first started laying, but maybe three times. Nobody else - just her. She figured it out and so did her body. I switched from oyster shell to their own shells (dry them for a day, crushed them and put them back for free choice). They seem way more interested in shells than oyster. If you don’t have their shells yet, try grinding or hammering the oyster shells up finer…she may not be eating enough calcium for a hard egg.

 

[janiedoe]

Good morning, I've had it happen a few times with new layers.
It also happens occasionally if something scares one of my older hen. A predator coming around, a thunderstorm. Have you seen any sign, that something is hanging around the coop at night?
Do you have fake eggs in a nesting box, to encourage the new layers to check it out?

 

[RebekahMarie]

One of my girls did thay when she first started laying, but maybe three times. Nobody else - just her. She figured it out and so did her body. I switched from oyster shell to their own shells (dry them for a day, crushed them and put them back for free choice). They seem way more interested in shells than oyster. If you don’t have their shells yet, try grinding or hammering the oyster shells up finer…she may not be eating enough calcium for a hard egg.

I’ll try the eggshells

 

[RebekahMarie]

Good morning, I've had it happen a few times with new layers.
It also happens occasionally if something scares one of my older hen. A predator coming around, a thunderstorm. Have you seen any sign, that something is hanging around the coop at night?
Do you have fake eggs in a nesting box, to encourage the new layers to check it out?

No evidence of anything hanging around. I do have fake eggs in the nesting boxes and the 7 that are laying all lay in the boxes too.

 

[Shadrach]

It's not unusual for new layers to drop eggs all kinds of places, including on the floor of the coop while they're roosting. Most get over this once they've laid a few.
It seems that whatever mechanism it is that lets the hen know that she has laid an egg either takes time to adjust or produces a signal before the egg is expelled from the vent. I've followed a few new layers around having watched them sit and then crouch to lay an egg and then jump off the nest and run off obviously thinking the job has been done only do drop the egg a few yards away.

 

[SheaLoner]

I have a few that did this while young. And one who does this when coming back into lay after her winter break.

 

[Jensride09]

I have 7 laying hens and 4 more that could start laying anytime (around 21 weeks old).

Anyway for the past few mornings I’ve been finding a soft shelled egg, broken, underneath the roosting bars. It’s broken but not eaten, so I think it’s falling and breaking rather than being pecked open.

Has anyone ever encountered this before? Is this a new-layer thing that will work itself out? I wasn’t worried at first but it’s been every morning for a week or so!

I give them all flock feed and there is crushed oyster shell available at all times, separately.

I’m having this e act problem !!!