Generally disappointed in my chickens. How big of a fight is this going to be? *Update page 2*

[furbabymum]

Basically our chickens were supposed to be laying eggs 2 weeks ago. I've been waiting rather dispiritedly and checking the nest boxes and holes they dug under the boxes daily. I've got 10 baby chicks, guineas and a couple baby peacocks as well. I wanted to move them into a bigger area so I cleaned up my fenced off half of the coop for them. While cleaning I discovered the nests my chickens had been using. Found 2 nests and 6 eggs in all. It was extremely exciting and disappointing all at once. I've no idea how long the eggs had been there and seeings as it's been in the 90's I didn't believe we could eat them. So I cleaned up the area and refortified the fence before letting all the babies out into this larger area together. Now I go in every morning to find my Australorp hen has flown over the fence and is attempting to nest over there still. She gets over there but cannot get back. So I catch her and put her in a nest box where she should be laying. It's been 4 days of this and there have been no more eggs. I can't have her nesting over on the baby side. I don't know if the babies would eat the eggs or not and she gets stuck over there and distraught. What am I supposed to do about this? Will she teach the others to nest over there?

 

[mandelyn]

You'll need to secure the fence in a way that prevents her access to the other side. Then put dummy eggs or golf balls in the nest you want them to use.

New layers have to settle into a routine.

It's a great help to eliminate all areas where they'll find security, any covered areas and things to hide in/under. Make the nesting boxes the most private place to be, and they'll use them. They don't like exposure.

Putting fake eggs in it tricks them into thinking another hen thought it was a good enough spot to use.

 

[furbabymum]

You'll need to secure the fence in a way that prevents her access to the other side. Then put dummy eggs or golf balls in the nest you want them to use.

New layers have to settle into a routine.

It's a great help to eliminate all areas where they'll find security, any covered areas and things to hide in/under. Make the nesting boxes the most private place to be, and they'll use them. They don't like exposure.

Putting fake eggs in it tricks them into thinking another hen thought it was a good enough spot to use.

I've had golfballs in them. They've not shown a spec of interest.

 

[Gofygure]

Yeah, basically you need to make it impossible for her to get over that fence. That's not easy - I have dual-purpose hens who will clear eight feet with the right motivation. My eventual solution was to stretch netting over the fencing. They bounce right off it and it's a cheap answer to the problem.

Once they have gotten the idea of the nesting boxes into their heads, you'll find that they are very loyal to their boxes. My girls have favorite boxes that they return to every day, and they'd never do something so "vulgar" as to lay an egg outdoors. Future generations will be able to observe the hens laying in them and learn from the older girls.

 

[furbabymum]

Yeah, basically you need to make it impossible for her to get over that fence. That's not easy - I have dual-purpose hens who will clear eight feet with the right motivation. My eventual solution was to stretch netting over the fencing. They bounce right off it and it's a cheap answer to the problem.

Once they have gotten the idea of the nesting boxes into their heads, you'll find that they are very loyal to their boxes. My girls have favorite boxes that they return to every day, and they'd never do something so "vulgar" as to lay an egg outdoors. Future generations will be able to observe the hens laying in them and learn from the older girls.

I knew this was going to be the answer but I had hoped for something else. The gate into this area is 4" high so it'll be a total pain for me to have to build a bigger gate, etc. Gotta do what you gotta do I guess.

So how long can they "hold it in". I haven't had a single egg in 4 days but I catch her every day trying to lay over there. I feel badly disturbing her but she CAN NOT lay there. Darn chicken is really pissing me off.

 

[Gofygure]

I've seen one of my hens lay an egg standing up, very quickly, when she was denied access to the coop, so I don't think they can or would hold it for more than a few hours. She's probably still getting into the swing of things and will lay more regularly as she gets older. Sorry about your infrastructure! They do like to make things difficult for us.

 

[blueeyeddemon]

They sure do :/ Every one of my hens lay in hard-to-reach places like under the house, stairs, coop, ect. Arrg

 

[devora]

When my birds begin laying I lock them in the coop for a time. Sometimes a week, sometimes two, whatever it takes to get 'em laying in the nestboxes. Can you just lock them in?

 

[furbabymum]

When my birds begin laying I lock them in the coop for a time. Sometimes a week, sometimes two, whatever it takes to get 'em laying in the nestboxes. Can you just lock them in?

My coop is a barn. It's split into 2 areas. One area is where I keep supplies and the brooder. That's the area they seem determined to lay in.

 

[RedStarLady1207]

Can you switch the split or is that too much?

I would confine the hens to a temporary penned off area in the barn and have a nice private, and dark nest box for them to use, with no access to any other 'hidey holes'. Just water and feed and the dark nest box area.

You have to unlearn what she has in her head and chickens are not the brightest bulb in the box. Once they learn something they get it, so make it impossible for her to continue with what she has learned and re-train her to the new area. If she can get out then she will continue to go to the same spot she is comfortable with. Put fake eggs in their anyway - and leave them there. Chickens don't look for a place to build a nest and look for someone else to have picked out a good spot and figure if it was good for another hen it is good for them.

Have some patience - it takes a bit to condition them (and that includes passive force) (i.e. can't get back to the old nest at least until the new nest box is being used).