Custom Nest Box???

[Branumdragon]

We have a problem with a finicky layer. She seems to need a very private, secure place to lay, and won't lay in the nest boxes we have. For a while she was escaping the yard to lay elsewhere (How do I keep her in the yard?), but then we found the hole she was getting out through. We also have a bush that she can climb up, so just keeping her in the yard isn't an option. She likes to lay off the ground a little bit (I can't imagine why), and won't lay at all if she doesn't have a roof. Her original nesting place, which she abandoned as soon as we discovered it, was a cupboard with the doors falling off so she could get inside. Does anyone have a suggestion for a custom nest box?

Thanks.

 

[azygous]

Yeah! The cupboard with the doors hanging off! Accommodate her! Put straw or wood shavings in there, and make it more secure. Move the cupboard into the coop if you can. Listen to what your chickens are trying to tell you. They really are terrific communicators.

 

[Branumdragon]

The cupboard is outside the yard. When she's out there, she gets into trouble. Click on the link in the thread starter to find out what I mean! Oh, and the cupboard is built into the wall of our brick house, and it's bigger than the coop. Moving it is impossible. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

 

[azygous]

Your hen is trying to let you know that the cupboard is what she wants in a nest box. You're already understanding she needs privacy and cover.

Can you make her something in the coop to simulate the cupboard? If it's possible to hang a curtain in front of the nest boxes, that would help a lot to make them more private. Use something heavy, such as plastic car floor mats. I use naugahyde in front of my nest boxes in one coop. In my other coop, the nest boxes are staggered, like bunk beds, one over the other, so each is private. Hens really do like that.

 

[fried green eggs]

My hens like the covered kitty litter boxes. You could put it on top of something to elevate it and put it facing the wall so, it's darker for her. Or I have made nesting boxes out of upper and lower kitchen cabinets. The are really cheap at Habitat or other reuse/ resale stores.
This is my collection side. I put black fabric on it to make it darker. This is their entrance. I had it blocked off until they got old enough. They love them.

 

[Branumdragon]

She settled down in the corner of the yard... I'll add a picture later.

 

[Branumdragon]

I know this doesn't have anything to do with this thread, but I found an egg on the perch where the birds sleep today. Why did Willow decide to lay there?