Floor eggs

[bukbugack]

My buff orpington pullet started laying about 2 weeks ago, and she only lays her eggs on the floor. My nests are quite high, so I provided a nest on the ground as well. She still lays on the ground. I'm using deep litter, and the bird just loves to dig a big hole in the bedding to lay in. So far the eggs haven't been really dirty. Just some stuck shavings to be brushed off, but I sure would like to break this habit as early as possible. Any ideas?

 

[PlymouthRocker]

I have the same problem and will wait to read a great answer.

 

[whytedragon]

hehe, i've never had this problem, but here's what I would try. I'd lock them in the coop when they're ready to lay, lay down hay bales that are compact that she cannot dig through easily, then lay some loose hay ontop..then she won't be able to lay on a hard surface.

I dunno, just a thought! lol.

 

[JamesA]

Try putting golf balls or fake eggs or even real eggs were you want her to lay.This sometimes works.

 

[bukbugack]

Hay bales. Sounds like it would work, but also might be a lot of work. My first idea was to jail the bird into a nest with screening, but she busted out. Then I tried the floor nest. Yesterday, I put down plywood over a good portion of the floor, but she got so nuts that she pushed aside my oversized feeder to get at those great poopy shavings. Maybe the hay bales will be next.

 

[bukbugack]

Oh, yeah. Been using the fake eggs all along, too.

 

[Laney]

I'm one to talk, my hens would rather lay in my coop on the floor where the goats hang out then in the nest boxes, or in the goats feed bins etc..

However, is the "nest box" you provided on the floor deep enough for her to dig in? is the hay loose like she likes it? Is it private? No idea otherwise how to help you, as you can see. Sometimes on a 70 degree sunshining day egg hunting is fun...other days it's not.

Laney

 

[wombat]

I think Laney is on to something.

I have one young one that started dropping eggs from the roost, and then moved to the floor. I've been trying to get her to use a floor nesting box, and she has a couple of times, and she also used the "real" nexting box once this week.

After I read Laney's post, I realized that she's only used the nesting boxes right after I filled them, and before anyone came along and kicked half the nesting materials out.

I'm going to out a bigger lip on the front of the floor box tomorrow, re-fill it, and see how it goes.

If that works, I'll have to add a higher lip to the front of the other boxes too. I have a few hens that go in there and kick everything around and they're always knocking so much of the nesting material out that there are bare spots to the floor.

 

[bukbugack]

I did'nt put much hay in the floor nest. That could be part of the problem. Maybe I'll make a nice deep nest and fill it with lots of the same shavings used for the litter. But I'll bet anything that dopey bird won't like shavings that aren't annointed with generous amounts of filth.