What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[pbfhpunk]

Had out first egg on Monday, 2nd on Tuesday, had 2 on Wednesday then back to one yesterday then this morning let them out and just checked in the next box and there's 2 smashed ones.

 

I think at least one of them is sleeping in the nes box but this is a new thing started the last couple of nights, any idea how to stop them sleeping in the nest box at night whiile still allowing others to get in to lay?

 

Thanks

 

Helen

[Egluntyne]

Put a plant pot or football in the nest box at night, and retrieve it first thing.

[Christian]

Or very late the night before....this only worked for a few weeks with mine. As soon as I shut the egg port door, I could hear them shuffling around to get back in the nest

[Hen Watch]

Helen, I can see from your signature that they've only just started to lay. I am not talking about softies now as they are different entirely, but ocassionally my chooks will produce eggs that look ok, feel ok but when I come to crack them they crack very, very easily as they are a bit thinner than usual. Usually they are rock hard and I have to bash them to crack them.

 

I was just wondering if your new girls are getting into the swing of things and perhaps the eggs are getting damaged as they are a bit fragile. All 4 of my girls sometimes lay one after the other and I can collect 4 perfect, undamaged eggs all sitting together in the nest box.

 

I'm not saying this is the answer, just thinking out loud.

[pbfhpunk]

Thank you for your replies.

 

Hen Watch that's a good idea actually as they were pretty much squashed it could be that as normally it would've taken a lot of force to get them that mangled - unles smaybe they're turned the nest box into a mosh pit!!