Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Keats2304]

Hi

I wonder if anyone else has had experience of this and any tips.

I've noticed over the past few weeks my hens have been laying one or two eggs in the roosting area of the Eglu rather than in the nesting area. This results in the eggs breaking and falling through to the tray below. I have 5 hens and this is just a recent problem.

Thanks for any help/advice.

Keats

[Olly]

This sometimes happens if there's a queue for the nestbox, i.e. more than one hen wants to lay at the same time and can't wait. I do sometimes see two in the nestbox of my Eglu, it's a tight fit! However in my experience an egg laid on the roosting bars is usually intact and not broken. I wonder if in fact they are laying slightly soft-shelled eggs which are slipping through?

 

I think the only thing you can do is offer an alternative nestbox, any dark secure box would do. I tried this when I increased my flock from four to six but they just refused to use it - somehow they seem to manage to stagger their laying pattern so they don't all lay at the same time.

[Keats2304]

Thanks Olly

I have noticed some wakened eggs so that looks like the problem. I'll look at their diet again

Keats

 

> This sometimes happens if there's a queue for the nestbox, i.e. more than one hen

> wants to lay at the same time and can't wait. I do sometimes see two in the nestbox

> of my Eglu, it's a tight fit! However in my experience an egg laid on the roosting

> bars is usually intact and not broken. I wonder if in fact they are laying slightly

> soft-shelled eggs which are slipping through?

>

> I think the only thing you can do is offer an alternative nestbox, any dark secure

> box would do. I tried this when I increased my flock from four to six but they

> just refused to use it - somehow they seem to manage to stagger their laying pattern

> so they don't all lay at the same time.