Retrieving eggs from the nesting box

[dasmith]

My family and I are interested in raising a few hens for eggs. The one concern I have is everyone is at school or work during the day, and no one would be able to pull the eggs out of the nesting box before late afternoon. I've heard chickens can sometimes stomp on the eggs or discover they're good eats and starting eating them if they're left in the nesting box too long. Is this something I should be concerned about?

 

[mtnhomechick]

Before they are of laying age, put some ping pong balls, golf balls or plastic eggs in the boxes. Chickens are VERY curious and they will learn at a young age that those things just don't taste good!

 

[Wynette]

I work full time, and am not home until about 5:30 p.m., so I don't collect my eggs until then. I've had a few eaten, but there are things you do to avoid it happening. I have lots of things for my chickens to play on in my run; I have big plastic boxes that I move around every few days so the configuration is different, two "chicken trees" for them to roost on:

and a hanging suet feeder that I stuff with yummy treats like cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens...whatever is in the sale bin at the produce section of the grocery store. I think this encourages them to spend as much time outdoors as possible, so they go in during the morning & afternoon to lay eggs, and then they're right back out in the yard.

 

[illinichick]

Dont' worry. I teach and am gone from 7am to 4:30pm. the eggs are always fine. I even have new layers who are laying eggs on the floor of the coop and they are never broken.
Mine do have a run to go out to also, so they're not stuck inside all day. they usually lay around noon or early afternoon.

 

[LynneP]

...and if you want, you can put a light on a timer and start egglaying before dawn. We plan to have ours come on at 4 am. Assuming you have power in there. Then when you service the coop before leaving for work you'll have some eggs for the refrigerator, or breakfast.

 

[crooked stripe]

I hardly ever check on the eggs till around 6pm and most of the time all the eggs are layed in the same nest box. Not a broken one yet even with all the traffic.