Why is my chicken laying an egg on the run? Why does one lay her eggs at night?

[smallbluejellybean]

I have two pullets who are new layers.
One goes to the nesting box in the morning and sits there for an hour or so. Doesn't lay an egg, but when she comes out and starts across the yard, it pops out as she is running. She makes a funny noise and turns around and has a look, then continues on her way. How can I get her to just stay and lay in the box? It is very funny to watch.

The other chicken lays in the laying box, but only during the night. Why is she doing this?

We have had a lot of hot days here in Sydney, plus a lot of smoke from the bush fires. Could that be a factor or is it just because they are new at it?

Any advice?

 

[Wyandottes7]

New layers often don't lay their eggs in the right place. My Columbian Wyandotte laid her first egg in the middle of the run. Do you have any fake eggs in the nest? They can often help encourage a new layer to lay in a nest box. Are the nest boxes in a secluded place? Chickens won't lay in nest boxes if they don't feel secure in them.

As to why your birds are only laying at night, I don't know. It might be that night is just the time that their egg laying cycle finishes and they are ready to lay(chickens take about twenty-five hours to completely form an egg, and then lay it).

 

[smallbluejellybean]

New layers often don't lay their eggs in the right place. My Columbian Wyandotte laid her first egg in the middle of the run. Do you have any fake eggs in the nest? They can often help encourage a new layer to lay in a nest box. Are the nest boxes in a secluded place? Chickens won't lay in nest boxes if they don't feel secure in them.

As to why your birds are only laying at night, I don't know. It might be that night is just the time that their egg laying cycle finishes and they are ready to lay(chickens take about twenty-five hours to completely form an egg, and then lay it).

Thank you for your reply. The nesting box is secluded and it contains a fake egg. She seems to try to lay it there, but she can't get it out until she starts moving again. She sees the other girls and wants to be with them. So she gets up and leaves before she has laid it. She has always been a goofy kind of girl. I don't know what else to do, but to give her some time. I hope to get this behavior on video. Its hilarious to watch.

So my night layer is normal. That is good to know.

 

[carolscoop]

I have an araucana-barred rock cross bred hen that has been laying a blue egg with a darker blue center stripe. Is this unusual?
I also wanted to know why one of my RIR started laying a very abnormally shaped egg. She has been laying regular shaped eggs for the past 3 years.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I have an araucana-barred rock cross bred hen that has been laying a blue egg with a darker blue center stripe. Is this unusual?
I also wanted to know why one of my RIR started laying a very abnormally shaped egg. She has been laying regular shaped eggs for the past 3 years.

Hi carolscoop, welcome to BYC.

When you have a new question like this, it's far better to start your own thread than to append your question onto the bottom of someone else's question. It's not nearly as likely to be seen in someone else's thread as it would be if it were its own thread so you'll get fewer replies, and it can be very confusing to those of use trying to help if we are answering two different questions in the same thread. I would recommend starting a new thread for these questions, too.

As far as your egg shell quality problems, here's what I know.
Your EE--what you describe sounds like shock or stress. A sudden shock can cause a temporary halting within the egg-laying system. If there is an egg there at the time, it may end up with an extra band or ridge around it. They are normally nothing to worry about, but if it's happening regularly I'd look to see if something is regularly bothering your flock. There isn't something stressful happening, like a dog that comes and chases them or something is there?

The abnormally shaped egg is probably because of the age of the chicken. Misshapen eggs are more common with older hens, but may also indicate a disease such as Infectious bronchitis or egg drop syndrome. I don't think this is the case, however. If it were infectious bronchitis, you'd see symptoms in all your birds, and if it were Egg Drop Syndrome you'd see more than just the misshapen eggs. http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/52/egg-drop-syndrome-76

 

[Spanishchick]

BUMP sorry I know this is old but I figured why start a new post.
One of my Buffs is a new layer, she roosts and that's we're she's laying and SPLAT

on to the ground.
What do I have to do make a box by the roosting stick where she's laying?