[MY-Five-gals]

hello
 I have had my hens for 1 week and have several concerns.

 One  girly is sitting down  and has hardly movedall day ..Is this a bad sign

One keeps breaking the newly laid eggs open. Any suggestions how I can stop this
thank you

[Viv]

Welcome to the forum, you'll get lots of help on here.
Is she sat in her nesting box?
One way to stop chickens eating their eggs is to lace them with mustard. They hate the taste of it. Or, try and get to the eggs before she has a chance to break them. We get this occasionally especially if we do not collect the eggs during the day.

[Foxy]

what type of hens do you have? Is she sitting down in the nest box or outside -does she look unwell. You will get loads of advice here!  

[MY-Five-gals]

She has been sitting in the run & in the garden, but now is in the nesting box, and no looks fine apart from the 'sitting'. i picked up her and felt  around her bottom end but to be honest I wouldn't know what I was feeling for if she did have a blockage.

Thanks for the mustard advice I will try that.
Mind you the one that is the main culprit could run the London Marathon she is so quick to get to the laid eggs. LOL

[Viv]

Ours do sit down during the day, they sit in the warm sun, lie in the dust and chuck it all over themselves, as long as she is eating, drinking and healthy I wouldn't worry too much

[GrannieAnnie]

How old are they?  We had our worst egg eaters from the ex battery hens which are older.

And I've found when they are really unwell, they will stand in a corner, on one leg all hunched up not eating or drinking.  Perhaps she's just lazy, or trying to go broody?

Aaahhh, I've just seen from your other thread that your girls are ex battery hens.  I'm afraid sometimes they just die on you.  Its nothing that you've done wrong, but the  poor things are soooooo eged and stressed out, that even freedom can be too much for them.  they will also often lay soft and thin shelled eggs and strange shapes and sizes too!

I hope she will be okay, fingers crossed

[MY-Five-gals]

Well it was an egg.. The mother of all eggs, to be frank I would have sat down too if i had laid that..so all's well
Thanks for the advice everyone.

Am I correct in thinking you cannot introduce new hens to an
 'egg'sisting (sorry) brood of hens??

I am besotted they are so lovely

[GrannieAnnie]

They will usually integrate if you can keep them living seprately, butwithin sight of each other for a week or so, or if they have to go in together straight away, do it at night when the older ones are asleep!

But you occasionally get some that just won't accept newbies!!!!