Black Sexlink hen laying eggs on roost

[Dana Childs]

This week our 4 1/2 month old Black Sexlink layed her first egg on our south porch on a small table. Now the next 2 mornings in the coop, eggs on the ground broken under the roost. We have put her I the nesting box but she doesn't seem to like it. Her first egg was beautiful. We want the eggs and tonight we will put the small table with shavings and a small bucket in the coop to see if she will lay them there. Sounds silly but we have 4 other pullets that haven't laid eggs yet and we don't want them to learn from her. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[starri33]

I'm afraid if you fix the table with shavings you will be just training her to lay her eggs there, how is your nest box set up? is there enough room for her in there? bedding?

 

[Dana Childs]

I'm afraid if you fix the table with shavings you will be just training her to lay her eggs there, how is your nest box set up? is there enough room for her in there? bedding?

The nest boxes are 12 X 12 and we have shavings inside and a golf ball. I will take a photo! Thank you

 

[DobieLover]

The nest boxes are 12 X 12 and we have shavings inside and a golf ball. I will take a photo! Thank you

A picture of your setup will help a lot.
Oftentimes pullets are taken off guard with this whole egg laying business and you'll find eggs all over the place unless there are established laying hens that the pullets can watch and learn from.
But laying off the roost is just part of the process in the early days.
Once you offer a semi-private comfortable laying location, they should take to it.

 

[Eevee]

Some of my pullets laid eggs in the run or just off the roost when they first started to lay. I also have one pullet that just wouldn't use the nesting box till I made cutains for it. I guess she prefered a darker more private place to lay.

 

[Dana Childs]

A picture of your setup will help a lot.
Oftentimes pullets are taken off guard with this whole egg laying business and you'll find eggs all over the place unless there are established laying hens that the pullets can watch and learn from.
But laying off the roost is just part of the process in the early days.
Once you offer a semi-private comfortable laying location, they should take to it.

Here are some photos of nesting boxes and some of the roost. It is very large and we let them out in the morning to free range and they go in at night and we secure them. We started leaving them in a little longer in the morning when we got the first egg.

 

[aart]

We started leaving them in a little longer in the morning when we got the first egg.

Good idea...put fake eggs in several of the nests.

 

[sealer39]

She will probably straighten out on her own. Pullets, just starting to lay, do some strange things. But they will look for their preferred place to lay eggs when free ranging. If she doesn’t start using the boxes soon, I’d keep her in the coop for a few days until she gets used to laying in the boxes.

 

[Katonk]

Some of my pullets laid eggs in the run or just off the roost when they first started to lay. I also have one pullet that just wouldn't use the nesting box till I made cutains for it. I guess she prefered a darker more private place to lay.
View attachment 1900601

Omg that chick-INN has got to be the cutest thing I've seen today!

 

[Eevee]

Omg that chick-INN has got to be the cutest thing I've seen today!

Thankyou. I made the sign myself and me and my son sewed the curtains with scrap materials.