Unfortunate First Egg (?)

[MrsBog]

Our free range chickens are almost 5 months old... My three year old just announced he found a “yucky egg” in the yard... it looks like whoever laid our very first egg then turned on it?? Or maybe one of the other chickens found it and broke it?? Anyway, two questions: how do I encourage them to lay in their nesting boxes? And is it unusual for them to break their eggs? How would I discourage this behavior? Thanks for any advice! First time chicken owner here

 

[MarkJr]

Locking them into coop and run every day for a week or so should reset them to laying in coop. As for the egg.... I’d say it might have broken as it was layed. My chickens don’t leave anything except yellow smudges of any egg they start to eat.

 

[Lovem all]

you can put fake eggs in the coop nesting boxes. Shows where to go and they can't break em

 

[MrsBog]

Locking them into coop and run every day for a week or so should reset them to laying in coop. As for the egg.... I’d say it might have broken as it was layed. My chickens don’t leave anything except yellow smudges of any egg they start to eat.
[/QUO

Locking them into coop and run every day for a week or so should reset them to laying in coop. As for the egg.... I’d say it might have broken as it was layed. My chickens don’t leave anything except yellow smudges of any egg they start to eat.

thank you!! I’ll give it a try!

 

[MrsBog]

you can put fake eggs in the coop nesting boxes. Shows where to go and they can't break em

Good idea, thanks!

 

[Lovem all]

no problem

 

[aart]

Our free range chickens are almost 5 months old... My three year old just announced he found a “yucky egg” in the yard... it looks like whoever laid our very first egg then turned on it?? Or maybe one of the other chickens found it and broke it?? Anyway, two questions: how do I encourage them to lay in their nesting boxes? And is it unusual for them to break their eggs? How would I discourage this behavior? Thanks for any advice! First time chicken owner here

Looks fairly thin shelled, not unusual for a new layer and can break easily when dropped to the ground or stepped on.
Broken eggs are fair game for eating....but best to clean them up quickly.

Free range birds sometimes need to be 'trained'(or re-trained) to lay in the coop nests, especially new layers. Leaving them locked in the coop for a week or so can help 'home' them to lay in the coop nests. Fake eggs/golf balls in the nests can help 'show' them were to lay. They can be confined to coop and maybe run 24/7 for a few days to a week, provided you have adequate space and ventilation, or confine them at least until mid to late afternoon. You help them create a new habit and they will usually stick with it. ..at least for a good while, then repeat as necessary.