I've recently placed my two 18-month-old hens (one's now laying) in a 4- x10-foot "coop" area in the barn. I built and placed a new double nest box on the floor up by the door. This hen insists on laying her daily egg in the back corner. I put three wooden eggs in the two nest by the front door. Today, I looked in the back and saw two eggs... huh? I opened the door, walked back to the corner, picked up the two eggs, and one of them was a wooden one that she'd evidently carried to the back in her wings. She was giving me a message for sure. All I could do was laugh. I put the wooden egg back in the nest box and put a 3- x 4-foot panel to close off the area under the roost drop pan and board that's above where she was laying. As stubborn as she normally is (She gets it from Anne.), I fully expect to see a new makeshift nest in front of the newly-placed panel and the wooden egg back in it tomorrow.
Oh, very smart chicken! That is the funniest thing!! Apparently there is something about laying near the front door she doesn't like -- this may be a battle you can't win. Jenny
Time for some chicken pom-poms!! Give them to your other hens. They can cheer for their favorite. Which will probably be you if you've got treats or something they think is treats in your hand.....
be patient`She'll come around slowly. I have two rhode island reds that insisted laying in the back corner of the coop for a month or two. Finally one of my buffs started to lay in the nesting boxes and low and behold the two rhodies finally started to lay in the boxes. I too, tried golf balls, that didn't work for my girls. I broke down and bought wooden eggs and that worked. but a cute story.
