nesting box challenge,

[dlaplume2]

My White leghorn was doing a great job laying in her box. One day my husband opened the door while she was in there and scared the tar out of her while she was laying an egg. She literally ran out with an egg hanging from her rear. She layed it under a stool. since then she is laying her eggs in the corner of the coop with 3 other chickens. I have tried moving her eggs to the boxes, but she or some other territorial chicken keeps moving it out.

Does anyone have any other ideas to her to lay in her nesting box again? I don't want her to be scarred for life.

 

[redsoxs]

That's a tough one, particularly since Leghorns are kind of spooky by nature. All I can think is that if she make where she is laying now less appealing than the laying box. Maybe it can be incremental, with you making a laying nest a little closer to the nest box each day until she may go into it on her own. That's my best guess. Hope you figure it it. Good luck!

 

[aart]

That is a tough one....the get spooked and it's hard for them to get over it.

I spend alot of time in coop and leave back of nest access door cracked open a couple inches for most the summer, and open it farther often, but open it very slowly, so they are used to me being around.....but I know everyone can't do that.

Making where she is laying inaccessible is a good idea, it often works but may take a lot of time.
Have you tried using fake eggs/golf balls as 'bait' in the nests?

Curious about the eggs being removed from the nest.

Could you post pics of your nests?

 

[dlaplume2]

I appreciate your help solving this. Sorry for the delay. It was a weird week.

I talked to the person at the feed store and she suggested Hay and fake eggs to make the nesting boxes more desirable.

I cleaned the coop all out yesterday, put some shavings down, some hay and some golf balls.


made it look pretty, this is after I put it back together this morning.

they pulled some of the hay out and rolled some of the golf ball out


And still laid an egg here



At least it's in the coop and not the run or the yard.
any other suggestions

 

[aart]

Make the fronts of the nests higher, 3-4", so harder to kick stuff out.
Put one fake egg in all but one nest, some don't like the fake eggs.
Put a bucket, or something, in the place she laid to make it inaccessible.
May have to keep putting fake eggs and nest bedding back in, and blocking anywhere else she lays.
Could take days or weeks for her to go back to nests.

Umm.....that brown egg is from a leghorn?
They usually lay white eggs.

 

[dlaplume2]

No the brown egg is not hers. She has other hens following her lead. I get all my eggs in that corner, but only after my husband scared her.
I'll try both those ideas, move the balls so there is only one in two of the boxes and put a bucket where she they are laying. I'll have to figure something else out if I need to make the front higher.

 

[dlaplume2]

I came home from church and 4 eggs in the nesting box.

I will leave the boxes as they are and see how it goes.

 

[aart]

I came home from church and 4 eggs in the nesting box.
I will leave the boxes as they are and see how it goes.

Good deal!

 

[RonP]

Looking at your pictures, I would add a 2" extension on your feeder to help eliminate some of that waste.