encouraging hens to lay eggs in new nesting box and sleep on new roost

[jsmith2952]

well, it's been 5 weeks since I "tried" to encourage the girls to lay in the nesting box and use the new roost. They still roost by the door (even in FREEZING weather!), and still won't lay their eggs in the box. Even after weeks of golf balls, in one, or both nesting boxes, the hens still prefer to lay on the floor of the coop, about a foot away from the nesting box. One of the girls (I have a sneaking suspicion who), actually knocks the golf ball out of the nesting box and brings it to the clutch of eggs. So now every morning I collect 3 lovely brown eggs and one Titleist golf ball.

This just cements my theory that chickens are just plain weird!

 

[mithious]

By the way, straw can harbor mites!
I would get rid of it and use pine shavings.
Good luck with your girls!

I wouldn't worry too much about mites, this time of year and your location is so cold, that the straw should be fine. I use straw as it is MUCH warmer than the shavings. I layer straw and shavings on the coop floor and use the straw in the nest boxes!

If you think it might be a problem, you could sprinkle a little DE or Sevin 5% on the straw to prevent mites or lice...I don't and have always used straw with no problems.

Chickens will roost at the highest point possible...is there any way to raise the new roost above the height of the old? No, moving them at night will not hurt or upset them. It's actually the best time to move a chicken as they are mostly sleepy or sleeping and when they wake up, have no idea they have been moved LOL...that was a great suggestion!!!

As for the nest box...since the old spot was imprinted in their brains...they might not ever lay in the new boxes...making them darker might help??? Like the other OP said, once chickens imprint something, it's very hard, if not impossible, to change their habits. Best of luck and keep trying with the golf ball...ya never know...maybe at some point they will get the picture???

If you are having issues with the eggs getting dirty on the floor, you might have to make them a nest box there, if you can't get them to change. A plastic crate or 5 gallon bucket nailed to the wall should help!

Also, I wouldn't worry about the cold too much. It's been 16 below here, a few times already and consistently below zero at night for several weeks, with no end in sight...all the birds seem fine and no frostbite or signs they are uncomfortable. Chickens are more cold hardy than heat hardy. They will be fine. If you are really worried about the cold, check out the Alaska threads...they are wayyy colder than you and I are and their chickens do just fine as long as there are no drafts! A little scratch or cracked corn, fed late in the afternoon, will also help them stay warmer at night! Just make sure it's not more than 10 percent of their feed. I do feed a little more than 10% when it's going to be really really cold

Just to ease your mind, mine just started laying, they are spring pullets, in this cold, so they aren't stressed by the cold at all or they wouldn't be laying if stressed by it!

Hope this helps!!!!

 

[mithious]

JSmith, you are Very welcome...just thought of one more thing....birds give off a lot of moisture, from their bodies and poop...if you don't have top air vents to let the moisture out, you might want to open some windows, while you are out doing chores and close them when you go in. That will let a lot of the moisture out if you have a cross draft going. An hour should do the trick and try to keep wet spots in their bedding from their water to a minimum...or let them dig it up when you put down the scratch or cracked corn....moist bedding will obviously add more moisture. The less moisture, the warmer they are...just like us! Damp cold is "colder" than dry cold. Fortunately it doesn't take long to rid the coop of the excess moisture, so the open windows while you are there, even on very cold days, again, if no top vents in your coop to let that moisture out! If you find the windows getting frosted up, that will tell you if you have too much moisture and need about an hour a day to get it out of the coop.

Oh and don't forget to predator proof any top vents you might have or install at some point. 1/4 inch hardware cloth behind the vents with a wood frame( I use screws to keep it in place ) to keep it from being pushed in, is a must....the coop should be like Fort Knox for them LOL They need ONE place that is safe...only a bear could get in mine

Yes, we have bear, and every other kind of predator you could imagine also, including big cats...

 

[J and M s eggs]

Ok I have a question for everyone I have a hen who just started laying and has decied to make her own nest in my coop . She is not laying in the nesting boxes where my other girls lay. Well the problem is now my other hens who lay in the nesting boxes have decided to copy her and make there own nests in the coop too. It is extreamly inconvient for me to reach them. Help please! I do use straw in there coop should I switch to pine shavings ?

 

[mithious]

First I would try putting some fake eggs or golf balls in their favorite nest...they like to lay in a communal nest and even golf balls, look to them like someone else already laid in the nest LOL

 

[J and M s eggs]

I have tried fake eggs and golf balls my girls don't like them and won't lay if there in there laying boxes. There r so strange !

 

[mithious]

I have tried fake eggs and golf balls my girls don't like them and won't lay if there in there laying boxes. There r so strange !

Yeah they can be pretty picky, what about putting a couple of their own eggs in their nest boxes? I know the will freeze up pretty quickly now, but maybe do it around the time some of them lay????

 

[jsmith2952]

@mithious: thanks again for all the advice. My coop is quite small (4x3) with a 40 sq foot covered run. I have 2 ventilation holes (about 1 sq ft each) in the coop. I've covered the run in clear plastic, leaving a strip open around the top so the run still gets fresh air. Most nights I leave the pop door open as well, except when it's really windy. From what I've read on BYC, more air is always better than not enough, and there are lots of people who have had great success with open coops, so I've been trying to keep things as open as possible, while still giving the hens a safe, draft-free escape from the weather. It's a tricky balance. So far, even with -15c nights the hens seem fine and are still laying daily and picking through the snow quite happily. How can I tell if my coop is damp? Would the bedding be wet? It seems dry to me but I don't really know what to compare it with...

We have the usual predators, but no bears, thankfully! How do you even begin to deal with bears?! That's crazy!!

I don't have any problem with dirty eggs since they're laying in the new addition that they only seem to lay eggs in. I guess Ill keep trying with the golf ball, I also took the divider between the two nesting boxes down because I thought maybe it was too small as two boxes--the girls are pretty puffy right now and maybe need more room? I don't think I can raise the roost any higher...I wish I had done this whole coop thing differently, but I suppose it's all a learning curve! :/

Ah well, I suppose once this winter is over Ill have nothing to complain/ worry about!