Do non-broody chickens lay eggs in Chicken Prison? Do I need to give her a nesting box?

[curlewgirl]

I have one chicken in Chicken Prison, under observation for a potential fowl pox outbreak. She just started laying about a week ago, and has been an every-dayer since she started.

Our Chicken Prison is a large dog cage wrapped in hardware cloth, with pine shavings for bedding and food and water. Do I need to offer her a nesting box option while she's in there? Will she lay eggs while she's there?

Here's the temporary prison. There's a smaller door built into the main door that I could potentially rig some kind of a nesting box thing onto, if necessary.

Thanks so much!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes.

Is there a reason you separated her?
It's a virus and if one has it they all have already been exposed. It just has to run it's course.

 

[curlewgirl]

Yes.

Is there a reason you separated her?
It's a virus and if one has it they all have already been exposed. It just has to run it's course.

Thanks! I'll get her a box.

I wasn't sure if catching her before the pox scabbed might impact the overall virulence with the rest of the flock, but that's a good point, there's a good chance everybody may be infected. I think I was hoping we could do anything at all to impact transmission, haha!

This is also my first time dealing with fowl pox, so I'm hoping to watch her closely at least for the first little bit and get a better up close view of how is progressing before it impacts the rest of the flock, so I can know better what to look for. If everybody is likely just going to get it, I'll just put her back here soon and let it run its course.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It usually isn't horrible on them.

Keeping her separated is stressful on her and can make things worse.
It also means she can lose her place in the flock dynamics.
Even just a few days is enough to upset the pecking order.

 

[NatJ]

I have one chicken in Chicken Prison, under observation for a potential fowl pox outbreak. She just started laying about a week ago, and has been an every-dayer since she started.

Our Chicken Prison is a large dog cage wrapped in hardware cloth, with pine shavings for bedding and food and water. Do I need to offer her a nesting box option while she's in there? Will she lay eggs while she's there?

Yes, she will lay eggs while she is in there.
You can offer a nestbox, or you can skip it. She will lay eggs either way.

Laying eggs without a nestbox will not do her any real harm. She may not like it, but she will lay the eggs anyway, and she will probably not have any trouble going back to using a nestbox when you put her back in the coop with the others.

 

[Eggcessive]

If this is the hen you posted about in another thread, that does not look like fowl pox. I would place this hen back in the flock. Separating them for more than a couple of days will upset your pecking order, and she may be pecked or attacked. Hens will lay eggs in the cage they are in when separated. Fowl pox is a virus spread by mosquitoes. There is no reason to separate one anyway.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I went and looked at the pictures in the other thread.

I agree that is a minor injury.

She needs back with her flock.