[debih]

One of our chickens has started laying - 3 eggs in 3 days and we are positive that it is the same chicken that has laid all 3.  She lays them in the nest box as I would expect.

I have just been up to put them away and another egg has been laid (somewhere between 5pm and 8pm) but it has been laid outside in their run and doesn't have a shell on it - it is just in like a squidgy membrane thing.

It is obviously the first egg from one of the other chickens.  Is it normal for them to lay an egg like that and if so, will she lay "proper" eggs.

Can I use the egg (if I can open it as I obviously can't crack it).

[joyfull]

perfectly normal and yes you can eat it if you want to not everybody likes the idea though.

[debih]

Thanks.  Not sure if I really fancy it to be honest.

Why do you think she laid in the run rather than the nest box?

[joyfull]

must have just caught her by surprise, she may lay a few like this but will eventually get the idea (you can always put a pot/plastic/rubber egg in the nest box to show her where to lay - a golf ball will also work  ).

[debih]

Thanks.

Another silly question - whenever I clean them out I put fresh straw in their two nest boxes but immediately they go back in the house, they scrat all the straw from the nest boxes onto the floor of the house so that the nest box floor is bare.

Does it matter or should I get hubby to put a deeper piece of wood across the front of the nest box to stop them from doing this?

[SoniaBA]

My 3 laying hens clear out the nest boxes every day  :happy: Sometimes they are lined up just outside the house, with one looking in, waiting for me to move so they can get to rearanging everything to their likeing  I just keep checking there is enough in for when they lay. If not there is a chance the egg will crack.

[hillfooter]

I'd really advise you not to eat a soft shelled egg which has been laid in the run as it is quite likely to have been contaminated and although throughly cooking it should render it safe why take the risk?

Sometimes it takes a few attempts before their systems get working properly and it's not uncommon to get misformed eggs to start with so iIexpect she'll be OK shortly.  Hens seem to instinctively know if they are passing a non-viable egg and will rarely lay it in a nestbox.  To do so could contaminate an existing clutch so to prevent this they will often lay it outside the nestbox and even sometimes eat it.  It's instinctive behaviour.

HF