first eggs this week, but they’re on the floor

[cherrynberry]

i don’t want to mess with curtains at all. but i was considering putting a plywood roof on the boxes to both provide a little privacy and keep birds from getting on top of the boxes.

That wouldn't be a bad idea. It just looks like a perfect roosting area right now. Poopy nests are the worst

 

[DickMidnight]

That wouldn't be a bad idea. It just looks like a perfect roosting area right now. Poopy nests are the worst

i’ve cleaned some poop out of them. that’s also how i know they’ve been in there.

i’m headed to the lumber yard tomorrow for another project so i’ll just grab a sheet of plywood

 

[rosemarythyme]

i’m gonna try to figure it out mostly for my
own curiosity. once i do, any tips you have would be great.

I'll go ahead and post my spiel, in case the new layer doesn't change her ways (I'd say 50/50 on her figuring it out) and you can ID which bird it is:

Now this isn't practical if you don't have time to stalk them, but what I did was I learned the problem bird(s) laying schedules, and when they went to their preferred spot to lay, I'd go and pick them up, stick them in a nest box, and barricade them in using my arms to cover the exit. 30-60 seconds was all they needed to calm down and start exploring the box and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be. They each started reliably using the boxes after that.

Alternatively, some folks design "doors" on their nest boxes so birds can be locked in, which basically does the same as above, but forces the bird to stay in the nest box (whereas once I see them exploring and sitting down in the nest, I leave them to it and walk away).

 

[DickMidnight]

I'll go ahead and post my spiel, in case the new layer doesn't change her ways (I'd say 50/50 on her figuring it out) and you can ID which bird it is:

Now this isn't practical if you don't have time to stalk them, but what I did was I learned the problem bird(s) laying schedules, and when they went to their preferred spot to lay, I'd go and pick them up, stick them in a nest box, and barricade them in using my arms to cover the exit. 30-60 seconds was all they needed to calm down and start exploring the box and decide that maybe it wasn't such a bad place to be. They each started reliably using the boxes after that.

Alternatively, some folks design "doors" on their nest boxes so birds can be locked in, which basically does the same as above, but forces the bird to stay in the nest box (whereas once I see them exploring and sitting down in the nest, I leave them to it and walk away).

i’ve been slammed at work the last few days. i’m hoping tomorrow i can spend some time out in the coop around 11am to see if i can figure out who’s laying the eggs.

thanks for the tips!

 

[STACEYH]

I had one laying on the floor. I messed up her nest placed an empty closed tote on it. I then marked her egg and placed it in the nesting box. I collected all other eggs. She has been laying in the nesting box since. I removed tote from floor after a week. And threw out her old egg after a week (which is why I marked it). Good luck.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

So....

It takes a while for new layers to get their plumbing right. Initial egg laying, based on all outward appearance, seems to be a surprise to them - even when you've placed fake eggs in a nesting box or have mature, productive layers leaving eggs in nesting boxes. It is in no way uncommon for me and my flock (see sig) to find a new layer dropped an egg in the run, the pasture, some random location - often several days in a row - until they get the kinks worked out and join their elder siblings laying in the nesting boxes. And my flock has birds of ages from (now) 20 months down thru 6 weeks, with chickens staggered from ages 10 weeks thru 56 in 3/4 week stagger, then jumping to about 17 months and 20.

Relax, they will get a clue.

 

[aart]

Placing them in the nests might not work if they are not used to being handled.
Might freak them out and turn them off of the area.

One thing you might try is to block the area on the floor they are using by placing a box or bucket to block that area off.

Good move to put a 'roof' on the nests.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

Just keep putting them in the spot you want them too lay at night time, my chickens use to sleep on the porch on the rails, I didn't mind but then they poo all over it too... so every night for about a month I had to walk em to there shed eventually slowly, slowly two by two they all went to the shed on there own, the rooster was the last to learn. So they can learn things.

As for egg laying yes most of the time mine lay in there bed box area, sometimes tho I don't get eggs even tho I know they should b laying but then I'll find a pile of eggs hidden somewhere in the yard, doesn't really happen anymore either tho.

Don't think they don't like your nest box, they sometimes just don't care where they lay. They don't think like humans who think this box is perfect why dont you just do it in here you know..

 

[rosemarythyme]

i’m hoping tomorrow i can spend some time out in the coop around 11am to see if i can figure out who’s laying the eggs.

Good thing is most chickens will figure it out on their own, so hopefully you won't need to take action. But once in a while you get some oddballs that literally don't notice the nests after a number of weeks even though they're right in front of their face, so that's when I step in.

Just keep putting them in the spot you want them too lay at night time,

OP is asking about getting a bird to lay their egg in the nest box, not getting them on the roost at night. Or do you let your birds sleep in the nest boxes? As a general rule many of us discourage that behavior as clean nest = clean eggs.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

Yes my birds sleep in there nest box or on the floor but there is also a coop they lay in sometimes too which they don't sleep in they just go in there to lay some times. I'm not concerned if there is a little poop on an egg really.