Egg Laying in Wrong Place

[grandmas Nest]

I have 10 Chickens, 4 cinnamon Queens and 6 EE's. I bought 4 ciinamon queens and 2 EEs and then 2 weeks later 4 more EEs from the same place. So all are right at 7 months old now. I know the first 6 are all laying. But of the 4 only one is laying every other day under the coop. My coop is 30 inches off the ground so they can go under it. My coop is 8 x 8 and rest of run is 13 x 7. But having to crawl under coop to get egg is not fun. Husband thinks its funny. I hate to have to shut them in the coop to get her laying in the nest as I am sure its one thats lower in peck order. If I put a tempary nest box out side then move it into coop a week later and then take it away a week later will this work? Anyone try this as opposed to lock down? I have their water in the run so I can keep it thawed with heater. I lock them in at night and let them out just before its getting light so I know they can get to their water. Layer Feeder is in coop, along with free Oyster shell. I do have a golf ball in each nest and my origanal 6 use them. It has been 3 1/2 wweks since I added the 4 new ones. Any suggustions would be great. I just know if I do a lock down I will have to move water in and put up some dividers inside so lower pecking oder ones can hideout.

 

[Mogli]

hello thats sounds fun haveing to crawl under the coop to get eggs jeez that stinks im sorry u could do like i did i had plywood bords i cut them to a decent size and nailed the around the bottem of the outside coop so mine cant crawl under there i left 3 to 4 inches open so the coop can get air underneath to breath u know so the frame wont rot out i hope it works for me may be u can try the same thing if u wanna try something so they cant get under there

 

[phaethona]

Ours is off the ground as well. At first we never had a problem with them going under it, but we recently got a bale of straw to go in the nesting boxes and had a lot extra so we were
going to leave it on the ground in the run, but they tried nesting in it, so we scooped it under the coop and it's now blocked off.

the underneath part is wrapped in wire, except for a small opening(in the pic you can see there's a board on the ground by the opening)
we found that board to block it off and that's about all we can do to keep them out.

not sure if you're able to enclose it, but that might be a way to go, plus the area can double as chicken jail(we've done that only once for about 10 minutes, but it worked!)

 

[grandmas Nest]

Any other ideas? Help! I just know Iam going to have to crawl under coop again.

 

[woodmort]

First, as far as the hens are concerned they're laying in the right place except this giant being keeps crawling in and snatching the eggs they plan on hatching.

0As I see it you have two choices, 1) block them from getting under the coop or (2) keep them inside the coop for a few days until they get the idea that the nest is were they should be laying. Either way they should eventually cooperate. Oh yeah a few golf balls in the nest may help give them the idea too, especially if you're collected the other hens' eggs before they are ready to lay.

 

[buffalobaroness]

Not sure if your problem is resolved yet but I was wondering, do you have straw in their nesting boxes or pine shavings? I had straw in my nesting boxes to begin with and my girls didn't like it. As soon as I switched to pine shavings they agreed that this was the ticket and have been laying in their nesting boxes in the coop since then. Just a thought.

 

[abhaya]

I went to walmart and got a grabber I think it is called a gopher it is about 3 feet long I can reach without crawling. I am disabled and crawling is not an opption for me.

 

[grandmas Nest]

Yes I have a golf ball in each nest and there is 4 of them. I have pine shavings in the nest boxes, and on the floor of coop. The outside run is sand.[

I guess if I have to confine them I'll wait until the other three start laying too. Hopefully it won't be to long. They are all the same age which is 30 weeks. The last 3 EEs are all I am waiting on. I have added a trap over intire run to keep it mostly dry and put the ater heater under it so I don't have frozen water. We are in the low twentys at night and low 30's durning the day. My coop is insulated but water was still freezing in there, and I wasn't sure about putting the heater base in the coop with shavings but if I have to close them in then I'll have to put it in there until I start letting them out again. The first 6 all lay in the nest boxes.