From nest to floor. Wassup with that???

[underground chickenman]

One of my 8 hens has been laying for about 2 weeks. She has laid in one of three nest boxes since her first egg. Now, two weeks later, she has laid on the floor two days in a row. Any ideas why? The others still lay in the boxes and I have left a golf ball in each one since setting up the coop and putting them in there.

The nest boxes are very clean and filled with nice clean and fluffy wood shavings. Nothing has changed since she first started laying.

Is it possible that somebody is in her favorite box when she is ready to lay and just doesn't have the patience to wait? I can't think of anything else.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

maybe
when a hen's gotta go she gotta go... once one of my hen was in the favorite nesting box laying an egg and another hen had to lay so she sat down on top of the first hen and layed the egg on her back!!

 

[LynneP]

She's a younger hen and this happens to them from time to time- waiting for the box or getting shoved out...should correct itself!

 

[underground chickenman]

New info. I discovered that my coop light, which I have set to come on at 5:30AM, malfunctioned the last couple of nights so they have been getting up with the sun, or a little over an hour later for the last four days. Would the abrupt lighting change of an hour or so also be a factor? I also discovered that more than one is laying on the floor, as I had one practically lay one on my shoe when I went in there about 7:00 tonight, which is really, really late. I don't think I have had one lay after 2:30 in the afternoon. This one was one of my red stars and she has been laying for about 6 weeks like clock work every morning in the nest box. The egg was also wrinkled on one end and had blotchy coloring. I wonder if one of them started laying on the floor and the others are thinking they will give it a try also.

Thanks for any additional info.

 

[TexGardenGirl]

Same problem here. Mine have only been laying for a week, and I suspect many of them aren't laying at all yet. I know one of my EEs is consistently laying in the nest box, but otherwise about half the eggs are on the floor, especially in the corner under/behind the waterer (of course, hard to get to and messy!) Will it just fix itself with no interference or should I try to pick them up & put in a box if I catch one back there? They also love to dust bathe in their litter so I'm not sure if the one I catch back there is trying to lay or just dust bathing in a nice cool spot.