Hit 30 eggs in one day from my flock of 12 and it threw me off

I've got 12 hens in my backyard coop in Portland and last Tuesday I collected 30 eggs. That's way over what I normally get which is around 8 to 10 a day. Turns out three of my older birds were hiding a nest under the rhododendron bush for about a week. Has anyone else had a hidden stash show up out of nowhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

hart.ryan1mo ago

I'll be honest I used to think people were exaggerating about the surprise egg piles but then I found 22 under my shed last spring (all perfectly fine too). It definitely changed my mind about how sneaky these birds can be.

lee.lucas1mo ago

Huh, I gotta disagree with you on that one. I've had chickens for years and I've never seen more than maybe 4 or 5 eggs hidden at once, 22 sounds like a crazy outlier. Most birds will just lay in the nesting box if you keep them clean and collect regularly, so that many under a shed feels more like neglect than sneaky behavior. I think people who complain about surprise piles probably aren't checking their coops often enough or have a hen that's learned to sneak off. Not saying it can't happen, but 22 is a stretch for a normal situation.