Bad bad hen! - UPDATE - Progres....kinda

[doubleatraining]

I recently added a new hen to my laying flock. I need to grab some pictures so y'all can tell me what she actually is. LOL

She went through quarantine beautifully and I put her in with my 4 young laying hens. I haven't actually gotten any eggs from them yet. I left them in the coop for a few days to get acclimated and now I've been letting them out in the yard for the day while I'm home. Well this rotten hen lays an egg in the GRAVEL. She lays it right behind my front tire of my truck and so far both have been cracked.....GRRR

What makes it worse is if I leave her cooped up in the tractor for a few days....NO EGGS!!!

 

[angie3881]

She sounds confused! We have a few hens who will NOT lay in the nesting boxes. They free range and we find eggs all over the place. I am planning to get them fenced in before winter. One of my broody hens was frantically running in and out of the burn pit last weekend when we had a huge fire going. Sure enough, when we inspected in daylight, there was a clutch of 15 very cooked eggs in the corner. I would think your hen will have to EVENTUALLY lay an egg. I would keep her penned up or in the coop until she does lay a few and gets the idea. (Or hope that when you back up, she is laying an egg behind your tire... totally kidding!!!!)

 

[doubleatraining]

She came from a home where she was cooped up all the time and used the nesting boxes....maybe she doesn't "approve" of my nesting boxes....

She will be up for the next 2 days....cross your fingers for a not cracked egg.

 

[hennyannie]

Maybe she doesn't approve of taking the time to walk to the nest box!!LOL Bad Hen!

 

[Judy]

She may settle down and use nest boxes in time, especially if the others do. It does take chickens a while to get used to anything new, and letting her out of quarantine was just something else new to her. If you're home and the 2 day cooping doesn't work, you might try letting them all out after 10 or 11 AM when hopefully at least most of the eggs have been laid. After everyone starts laying, of course. You might have to put up with a bit of confusion til all have been laying for a month or so, though. Good luck!

 

[stoopid]

She's not bad, just confused. I would leave a flower pot with some dirt, or wood chips there. Then, it wouldn't break the egg. You could move the flower pot closer to the coop every few days.
My girls used the flower pots right outside my kitchen door to lay. Too cute!

 

[doubleatraining]

My concern is that my other hens are young and haven't started laying yet....I don't want her to teach them to lay outside. I let them outside after noon yesterday and she STILL laid it outside. She is coop bound for the next few days!!

 

[Ole rooster]

That is tough. Sounds like she is confused. Have you tried leaving her in the coop to see what she does?

With me I hope my rooster knows where to go. This bunch I have follows him everywhere he goes. If he don't know to go to the nest there ain't any telling where I'll find eggs when they start.

 

[hennyannie]

Quote:
He will help them, mine was the first chicken in my new nest box! I went right up and asked him what he thought he was doing, we had limited parking and he was just taking up space.Next thing I know he starts talking all happy like and has a hen in there with him.Don't know how long he stayed with her but I do know he didn't lay that egg!LOL

 

[Gerry2011]

Quote:
He will help them, mine was the first chicken in my new nest box! I went right up and asked him what he thought he was doing, we had limited parking and he was just taking up space.Next thing I know he starts talking all happy like and has a hen in there with him.Don't know how long he stayed with her but I do know he didn't lay that egg!LOL