Egg Laying NOT in the Nesting Box

[GreyhoundGuy]

Hi all. I apologize if this has been covered already.

We have five chickens, all are egg layers. (Here's a post with a bit of background, as well as pictures of our gals.)

Our girls are free range hens by day. We open their run around 7am and they put themselves to bed around 8:30pm each night. When it's time to lay their eggs, they have always returned to the coop and nesting boxes. Lately, though, something has changed. Some of our hens are starting to lay their eggs NOT in the nesting box. For that matter, we're finding eggs outside their coop and run.

We've found eggs in different spots around the yard, including places that we could see as possible nesting areas. These include shady areas (the side of the house) that the girls like to go do during hot weather. This made me wonder if it had something to do with Texas heat... until I found an egg in the middle of the path between our house and their coop... no shade in sight.

Any ideas why they might be laying outside the nesting box? Could it be that they don't feel safe in their nesting boxes? Could it be that their nesting box area is too hot? Or maybe two small or an area? (Two nesting boxes are available.)

If it is too hot, I could easily make a ventilated "roof" that would go over their nesting box during the day... something that has hardware cloth or similar to allow for ventilation during they day, but still provide a bit of shade using shade cloth.

Anyway, I'm seeking advice. Anyone have thoughts?

-Joel

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

This can happen from time to time. The first step is to "rehome" them to the coop/ nest boxes by keeping them in the run four about a week. If if you can't stand doing out for the whole day, let them out once they've all layed for that day. This resets their routine to seeking the nests

 

[GreyhoundGuy]

Thank you, @Ol Grey Mare. I figured it was something along those lines.

We'll wait until there's cooler weather before confining them to their coop / run. (It's supposed to be 95* and higher for the next few days. While there's plenty of ventilation, we know it's cooler for them when they can find some shade and dig down into the soil a bit to really cool off.)

-Joel

 

[aart]

OGM hit it.

They may be avoiding the nests due to the heat in coop.
Check the nests for any pests that might be in there too.
Maybe put a 'portable floor nest' out in a shady area baited with fake eggs so you don't have to hunt. Just some thoughts.