Video: laying egg from top roost. How to get her to stop?

[skeezix05]

These are the nesting boxes. Hope they appear. I took away the box on the floor where she dropped her egg. The three eggs are in the right nesting boxes now but two are still on the floor. I found the one hen and put her in the nest box and stood in front of the box(forever) eventually slipping away and she laid her egg in the box. Hopefully she will get it now only problem is she is not the one in the video. Thinking about putting burlap over one nesting box. See if it helps. To complicate things more, the next set of babies ate laying a of today and found new egg number 17 on the floor.... I'm guessing it's just very new to them but I still get two on the floor. Trying the burlap curtain...

 

[skeezix05]

We are also buying another set of nesting boxes for the other side. Maybe this will help. Always a debate of how many hens to number of boxes...

 

[chickmomma03]

I would try a different style. The side is open and they might not feel secure. Mine like the bin because it has the tall side walls, they don't care about the top part being covered at all, they care about the side walls. If you have an extra storage bin laying around put some straw in it and see if they like it.

 

[skeezix05]

Do you have a picture of the bin style?

 

[Blooie]

x2 Those are pretty open. Not a problem for some but for others they just don't feel very safe exposed like that. As I said in my earlier post they can be pretty persnickity about where they'll lay. I like your burlap idea - some here have used curtains or empty feed sacks to accomplish the same thing. I think all you'd have to do is add a little lip to the bottom of the openings (which will also keep eggs and nesting material in) and then hang a little something partway down from the tops. I think I'd try that before I spent money on new nests that they still might not use.

Also, is that a roost that sticks into that one nest, or is that supposed to help them get up to the higher nests?

 

[skeezix05]

They have a lip on the boxes and that is a roost. It is also used to get to the higher boxes.

 

[Blooie]

They have a lip on the boxes and that is a roost. It is also used to get to the higher boxes.

Oops, I goofed. I should have enlarged the photos and then I would have seen the lip.....I'm sorry. Can you change the roost/helper bar at all? It seems like it might be awkward for them to try to fly up there at an angle. If the bar was parallel to to the nests that might make it easier. I still think partially enclosing them is a good idea. Looks like there's a lot of light in there and they tend to like darker spots. How's the issue with your little "dive bomber" going, anyway? Any better? I could feel your frustration in your initial post and hope you are feeling better about it all now.

 

[chickmomma03]

This is the storage bin I'm talking about. I didn't put the lid on it. Some people put the lid on and cut a hole in the side of it for extra closure, but I opted to leave mine open. All the ones who are laying LOVE it.

I also made a nesting box for my neighbor who had ducks, and took a different approach because hers were free range, unfortunately I only took a picture of that one in the dark:
Basically what I did with this one is took chicken wire and covered the top. Stapled it in place at the lip on the outside (so the staples wouldn't get the ducks AND they couldn't eat them) and I cut a hole in the front side (where the flashlight is). I had to use a utility knife and it was a bit of a pain to cut through.

 

[boynechick]

I have the same problem! I have tried extra straw on the bottom to catch it. 6 weeks now with the same pullet! I have thought about a hanging net to catch them that hopefully the poop would drop through too!

 

[skeezix05]

No more eggs on the ground. They eventually got it. No nesting boxes on the ground,no curtains, original nesting boxes in photo and all is as it should be. Yay! I did see one steal an egg- pulled it right out of the nesting box and it dropped to the floor. She has stopped and settled in to laying without stealing and my roost layer is in the box every morning !!!