4 chocks 6 eggs today problem was two eggs out in the garden

[lexcat]

4 eggs this morning as normal then they were let out of their run about 6 this evening for a few hour on the garden again totally normal. Just went to shut then up and found an egg on the ground with a soft shell ( one does lay soft shells and sometimes no shell about once a week). Got to their hutch to find one out not like her found her, and she had just layed. I thought 1 egg was all they lay, not sure if I want them out laying in the garden, as I'll never find them or the dog with get fatter as she finds them.

One of our chickens has laid 2 in a day a few times :)

Occasionally they can get a bit 'caught short', especially if they have only recently started laying. This is usually the case if it's been laid out in the open, as opposed to under a bush.

Best thing to do is get a couple of 'pot' eggs i.e. terracotta / plastic / rubber egg shaped objects and put them in the nestbox. It usually gives them the right idea.

Thanks they do lay the morning eggs in the nesting box but that's because they have a coup that they live in. My thing was the laying of a second egg come the evening when they free roamin for a few hours. I'm not sure I want them laying in the garden for me to find. Should I keep them in or will it be a bit of a one off. They've been laying for about 6-7 weeks.

Definitely don't keep them in all day. It will probably be a one-off / occasional thing, especially if you put some pot eggs in.

Chickens ovulate and hour after laying on a 25 hour cycle according to the length of daylight hours. So she's ovulating later and later - eventually when the light levels get too low she will not ovulate after laying and will do it the once light levels rise (the following morning) It will right itself over the next few days. However if you shut them up early (in the house) after any evening eggs have been laid then open up early the next morning that might sort it.

with most hens the eggs take about 25 hours to form, then they ovulate 30 mins later, but if its after dark, then they dont ovullate until daylight.

but hybrids have a shorter cycle. It is possible that she laid one late yesterday and then one again this morning.

i often have them laid without shells, so put our more water and more grit to help them along.