AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hey there,

Just have a question about our hens. One (or two or three, not sure yet) of our pullets started laying a week ago and is obviously now a hen. Thing is, when she first layed was a day when I kept them cooped up as it was pretty wet and horrible and we were off out for the day and weren't due back until late (so no opportunity to pen them back up once they went to bed). Thing is, I collected three eggs that particular day (two in the morning when I let them out, and one more in the afternoon when one of them had decided to go in and lay an egg). But it seems to be pretty inconsistant as to where and when they lay. We've been getting one to two eggs a day, sometimes in the coop, and sometimes just out in the middle of the garden, and this afternoon I came home to find 5 eggs, one in the middle of the garden (we live on acerage so was lucky enough that it was just near the coop door) and another 4 in two little nests that had been built out of the hay that we've got around the back that the sheep pulled down the other week while they were in this part of the paddocks, not one of them had layed actually in the coop as they had done before.

What i'm worried about is if there could be eggs elsewhere on the property. And I'm also wondering why there appears to be one chicken (the egg looks the same as the first one that was layed in the middle of the garden) that just lays in the middle of nowhere? I thought that chickens would prefer to be in a quiet dark place to lay their eggs? Why are they occasionally using the coop, but sometimes now?

Also, do the chickens lay eggs that look the same? e.g There's one that's longish and white, and looks like one layed a few days ago, and there's one that's brown and rounder than one of the other brownish ones, would they more then likely be from the same chickens.

Also, should they now be laying consistantly every day? (we left them in on Saturday, but there was only one egg layed the next day when we let them out)

Would it be better for me to leave a plastic egg in the coop to help 'remind' them of where they should lay?????

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!

Many thanks,

Vikky

Cheers for this.

So do they need their nesting boxes 'partitioned' as such? It's just my husband made the coop and run and we've made the coop/nesting box part just with a different level and two perches, just wondering if they need an actual 'box' type set up to feel secure enough to keep laying in the same places (where I actually want them to lay) :O) If so, then i'll get hubby onto making some more secure 'boxes for them to lay in and hopefully sort it out.

Thanks for the response.

Vikky

Thanks for this.

Just wondering. Today I kept them in (hoping that they would then lay some eggs in the coop and It would help ingrain as to where they're supposed to be laying) I let them out at about 4 this afternoon for a leg stretch and a scratch around before their bedtime, and there wasn't one egg! At all! No idea what's happened, but there wasn't one in the coop, and it didn't seem like anyone layed any when I let them out. They've been laying for about a week and a half/two weeks, should that be consistantly at least one a day?

Also, i've heard that if you feed them on corn they can lay 2-3 eggs a day? Is this true? If so, what would we have to do to prepare the corn to feed them?

Many thanks again,

Vikky

UUMmmm not sure about that corn and hay story vikky, sounds like an old hens tale to me. My girls get whole grain and cracked maize daily but most I get is 1 a day. They didn't get to regular laying for at least a month after their first egg, so yours might just be getting use to the idea of giving birth everyday. If you get your girls to lay more then an egg a day you in contention for a world record, I think it stands at 360 in a year, by an Australorp I believe, please correct me if anyone has heard different.

Sprinkle with Magic Fairy Dust.

As for eggs per year, a Farmstock ad last week promoted a certain breed claiming an annual number of eggs exceeding 365!!! It said something like "360-370 eggs per year".

The simple fact is (in my opinion) regular people like you and I do not keep our chooks in the types of conditions necessary for really high egg output -- and shorter lifespan. For example, we don't have out sheds lit up 24/7.

I grew up on a commercial poultry farm and although it is frowned apon these days we did keep some birds in single cages .It was not unusual to find that some hens laided two eggs in a day ,but very rarely laided the following day .In those days it was common for breeders to claim egg a day production for their stock ,but under ideal conditions it was not often achieved .

Hi vikchik ,try the plastic egg ,it should help . I use golfballs , I feed mine maisemeal which is pre-prepared corn it gives them a beautifull golden yolk and may boost production a little .