- Apr 2, 2012
- 12
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Hi y'all,
So, I had to leave town for a number of weeks, and (thankfully) my neighbors took care of my chickens while I was gone. Upon returning this morning, I've discovered one of our hens hatched a beautiful baby chick! She's 3 weeks old and happy and healthy, by all accounts. But something strange has happened. Our hens have stopped laying eggs in the nest they prefer to lay in (I heard this from our neighbors, and it happened again this morning). Our coop has 3 nests, and mom and baby have been in the far left, and until a few days ago, the rest of the hens were laying in the right nest. Now, they're going outside and laying in the grass. I found about a dozen eggs hidden in the grass in my yard.
It was a mystery, as was the hay disappearing from the nest, but today I saw momma hen kicking hay out of the right nest, and guarding it. It appears she doesn't want any of the hens laying there. I don't like this AT ALL. Do I need to displace her and baby for a while? It's what I would have probably done had I been here when the baby hatched (this is our first "grand-chicken" from our first flock -- so I'm sure I would have been on this forum asking for advice!).
How do I get her to let the other hens resume laying in the coop, in the nest they love?
Thanks so much for any advice you can give!!
Baffled Chicky-Grandma
So, I had to leave town for a number of weeks, and (thankfully) my neighbors took care of my chickens while I was gone. Upon returning this morning, I've discovered one of our hens hatched a beautiful baby chick! She's 3 weeks old and happy and healthy, by all accounts. But something strange has happened. Our hens have stopped laying eggs in the nest they prefer to lay in (I heard this from our neighbors, and it happened again this morning). Our coop has 3 nests, and mom and baby have been in the far left, and until a few days ago, the rest of the hens were laying in the right nest. Now, they're going outside and laying in the grass. I found about a dozen eggs hidden in the grass in my yard.
It was a mystery, as was the hay disappearing from the nest, but today I saw momma hen kicking hay out of the right nest, and guarding it. It appears she doesn't want any of the hens laying there. I don't like this AT ALL. Do I need to displace her and baby for a while? It's what I would have probably done had I been here when the baby hatched (this is our first "grand-chicken" from our first flock -- so I'm sure I would have been on this forum asking for advice!).
How do I get her to let the other hens resume laying in the coop, in the nest they love?
Thanks so much for any advice you can give!!
Baffled Chicky-Grandma
