Egg laying in the run - how do I stop it?

[feathersnuggles]

So, my 39 week old Blue Wyandotte just started 2 days ago and she doesn't use the nest like the others do. She uses the run. Sunday, I saw her attempting to nest on the ground and I lifted her into the nestbox in the henhouse. But, she jumped out. Later in the day I found her dirty little first egg in the dirt in the run. Yesterday I wasn't around so I didn't catch her laying. But, this morning, I saw it -- buried in the dirt in the run -- another small egg and very dirty.

Does anyone here have a tip for getting her to lay in the nest? I've got golf balls in all the nests. All my other birds use the nests. Help!

 

[chookchick]

Sounds like she is just a little slow...I'm sure she'll get the hang of it after a few days! I didn't even have nests the first year, and they figured out what they were for in no time (when I finally built it!).

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i agree, it's a learning process. i've had girls lay in the pen when they first start. After they watch the others in the nest box, they eventually get the idea.

 

[NatalieB]

Is she a morning layer? Don't open the coop until you know she has layed. Then after a week she will get it. Good luck!

 

[onthespot]

I would try putting a plastic dog crate on the ground where she is laying, bedded with hay or whatever you use. She might start using the crate, then you could gradually move or raise it up some.

 

[feathersnuggles]

Thanks everyone for your good suggestions. All my other girls figured out the nests from the very start, so this was a puzzle for me. But she's very late to mature, compared to the others, so she may have missed all the "nesting" activity they did when they were getting ready to lay.

She's laid in the afternoon, and in the morning so far. I think I'll use the suggestion of a box in the run with straw. At least the egg may not get so dirty, in the meantime. Hopefully she'll get the hint and be more open to the actual nestboxes, eventually.