4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Hendy]

I just found 11 eggs in a makeshift nest in my garden! I'm fairly sure they are from Kebab as they have her feathers on a couple of them. So excited that she has started laying!

 

Would you eat them? I cleaned a bit of mud off them and they all sink when placed in water so am inclined to go ahead and eat them, would be a shame for them to go to waste!

 

Also, is there anything I can do to encourage her to lay in the proper nest?

 

Thanks

[Cooks]

I tend to let mine only free range after about midday so most of the time they have already laid in their nest box.

 

you could add a rubber egg to the nest box, I have read on here that it encourages them to lay there if they are not sure.

 

*loopyloo still learning all the time herself*

[Janepie33]

I don't see why you can't eat the eggs. They probably won't be more than 2 weeks old and it has been pretty cold lately. About as cold as a fridge I'd say! When I used to buy eggs from the shops, I used to keep them in the fridge for ages and they never did us any harm!

 

As for laying in the proper nest, I'd make sure she had no access to the makeshift nest by blocking it off or not letting her free range for a few days. Some people find rubber eggs in the nestbox encourages their girls to lay in the right place.

You could also leave one of her own eggs in the nest box and see if that helps.

Do you have any other chickens laying at the moment?

[Ygerna]

What about popping them into a bowl of water and seeing if they sink, wobble or float. Dont eat the floaters Eat he wobblers first and then the ones that are sunk to the bottom.

[Hendy]

Thanks all - half have already been eaten! They all sank in water and as you say it was very cold recently so hopefully all is fine!

[Phoebe]

If we don't hear from you again, we'll know it was n't......

[Hendy]