Does anyone have a suggestion?

[superjules75]

One of my hen's doesn't use the nesting boxes. She lays in the chicken house. My other hens use the boxes, so there are eggs in the box but that isn't changing her behavior. Any ideas?

 

[ranchhand]

Julie, click on edit in your original post and you can finish it.

from a former Austinite!

 

[superjules75]

Yeah, my hand accidentally hit enter...oops.

 

[purelypoultry]

You might try putting some glass or wood eggs in the nest so that there are always eggs in the nest. You might also try a separate nest box to put on the ground for her. For our smaller breeding pens we didn't have space for big nest boxes so we used small on ground ones and it worked pretty well.

 

[tnchickenut]

add another nest if you can. chances are the nest is busy when she wants to lay. They each have a schedule and you may just have too many in the nest right when she wants to lay. Or she is lazy and rather not get up there. lol. I know I have one hen with frostbite right now from this stupid weather and she is laying on the ground right now since it hurts her feet to jump up. So, if this is a new development, maybe she has a problem with her feet/legs.

 

[superjules75]

I have 2 nesting boxes for 4 chickens and only 3 are laying. I didn't even know the one laying in the house was laying until I went to clean out the house and there were 4 eggs in there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I had a couple that were laying on the floor instead of in the nest boxes. When I caught them laying on the floor, I locked them in the nest box for about a half hour, until they had finished laying. The Buff Orp only took one time but the Australorp took twice before she caught on. No problems since.

I have 2 boxes for 7 hens. If they are full, they will occasionally but rarely pile in together but usually the one waiting just paces, jumps on top to look in, and just hangs around until a box is empty. It is obvious she is waiting.

 

[tnchickenut]

Well if you only have a couple then I would try what ridgerunner says about putting them in the nest if you catch them about to lay.

I had one of my Dels who free ranged start laying on the neighboring property. I caught it right before she went broody. She had 7 eggs there. lol. Anywho... point is, I took all those eggs away and for the next two days had her locked up until after she laid her egg, then she could free range. She has never laid another egg anywhere else. She will come back to the coop just to lay and then go back out. So, I agree... try to physically put her where you want her when she is starting to lay one day.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Note I said "locked" her in the nest box. She would not stay if I just put her in the nest. I see you "locked" yours too. The locked is an important point. Just wanted to be clear.

 

[tnchickenut]

Quote:
Note I said "locked" her in the nest box. She would not stay if I just put her in the nest. I see you "locked" yours too. The locked is an important point. Just wanted to be clear.

Oh yeah, you have to force them to stay there until they laid their egg. Good point to be clear on that. If you give them a choice, they will try to go where they are used to laying.