I have an aviary with lots of breeding boxes. One of my females has found a mate and started laying eggs. Today she was due to lay her third. I checked the nest box but only saw one - then I noticed that there were two on the floor of the aviary. One cracked and broken from the drop and the other in tact which I put back in the box.

Why are the eggs being thrown out of the box?

I noticed that there is another female in the aviary who has been showing a lot of interest in the same next box. She hasnt got a mate but she does go in and out of the next box when the laying hen is not in there. Could she be throwing the eggs out?

I have now separated the laying hen and her mate into a breeding cage.

She seems content in the nest box and hasnt left the eggs since I brought her in.

Does anyone have any advice or tips for me please?

Hi Your suspicions are right. Do you have more boxes than hens to give them choice???....B.J.

I'd say egg found on floor may be addled anyway, she may continue to lay. Colony breeding, hens will throw out eggs or chicks or even fight and possibly kill hen/chicks, if she wants that nest box. If you have more breeding cages and want to breed I'd pair up birds in cages and remove nest box's from aviary to stop any more aggressive behaviour.