Shell-less Eggs and Laying in the Wrong Place

[Pony Girl]

My two brown warren hens, Clover and Sage, came into lay at the beginning of March. All has been fine up until now with lots of good strong eggs and several double yolkers.

However over the past few days one of them has stopped laying in the nest box but lays where she sits on the perch right next to the pop hole.

Day one was a normal egg just in the wrong place
Day 2 - shell less egg - unfortunately in the rush for them all to get out in the morning it got trodden on and everyone started trying to eat it. Luckily I was there as it happened and intervened quickly!
Day 3 - no egg
Today - another very thin shelled egg, virtually shell less on one side

They are on Garvo alfa-alfa mix and layers mash and have ad lib access to grit. All the books say that this can happen occasionally at the beginning of lay, but does a month in still count as the beginning of lay, and is two dodgy eggs in a row a sign of something more serious?

Also all 4 hens (favorelle, pekin and brown warrens) always used to sleep in the nestbox. Why have they suddenly taken to sleeping on the perch? I clean the house out every week and have been vigilant about red mite prevention so I don't think it's that. The other two still lay in the box as normal. The favorelle, Bella, has never laid an egg since we had her!

 

[chrismahon]

Red mite could explain both problems Pony Girl. Red mite in nest boxes would be easy to spot unless the bedding was straw though, because they will be inside it. Put a plastic straw in them in a corner and look inside it in the morning, or bang it end down onto white paper. Thin shelled eggs laid at night could be fright due to a predator, or just the wind.
If one is laying good eggs and the other not it's unlikely to be anything with the diet. Just sounds like the eggs are being laid early because of stress or the shell coating process has broken down temporarily (hopefully). Are all their combs red, or do they look pale? Poos OK?

 

[Pony Girl]

Poos are fine and their combs are bright red. I've tried to be really careful with the house management and have been completely removing the litter (shavings) every week and spraying the house with SMITE and powdering crevices, perch and nest box with diatom powder. I have come across a couple of mites, which I've squashed, so I know that means there are probably more lurking but at least I am hopefully keeping the numbers down.. I also dusted the hens last week with louse powder, which is supposed to last for 6 weeks.. I'm hoping that the last couple of days are just a blip as it's their first month of laying and things will go back to normal soon. I might try them on some liquivets in the water, which is supposed to help with stress. They seem such a happy little flock, I'd hate to think any of them are feeling stressed in their own home.

I thought they should be discouraged from eating broken eggs in case they get a taste for them and start eating all the eggs?

 

[chrismahon]

You are quite right about the egg eating. But they only get a taste for good eggs if they recognise the squashed shelless one as the same thing and in my experience they don't. Problem arises when a good egg gets broken and there are other eggs 'on display' in open nest boxes. Nest boxes are best with a curtain on the front -sacking or we use slit rubber matting.

You are right about the mite as well. If you can see a few you have hundreds. In warm weather that will become tens of thousands in a few weeks so best get on top of it now.

 

[Davidd]

Hello, a few soft shelled eggs is not a problem- most hens will lay some in their life time- one month laying is not a long time to settle into the laying pattern- no need to worry. As for sleeping on the perches- good that is only natural- much better than floor or nest box sleeping-all hens should be given the chance to perch, some, mostly poor flyers will sleep on the floor but if the perch is low enough will use it. all hens will eat broken eggs- few, if any, will turn out egg eaters. enjoy your birds
regards, Davidd

 

[Chuck]

Couldn't understand why you were concerned about why they were using the perches as that's what they're for ! Most of us complain when they sleep in the nests and make a mess.
Soft shelled eggs can occur at any time though usually at the start or end of a period of laying.

 

[Pony Girl]

Wasn't concerned, just curious as I've been trying to encourage them to use the perch to sleep on since we got our very first hens three years ago. Maybe the new ones have finally worked it out and taught the others what to do!

Happy to report that they are all back to normal now and laying firm shelled eggs in the nest box, so it was just obviously one of those things. And would you believe after posting my reply I went home and found that Bella had laid her very first egg! It was a bit of a strange looking egg and haven't had any since but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now.

No sign of red mite since the last treatment.

 

[Chuck]

Good to hear.