Help. I have a Britney Spears Pullet

[kimslack]

My pullets are beginning to lay. I have 7 pullets. 4 are laying. They all want to use the same nest. I have two side by side. They are old milk crates. The coop is a small insulated setup in the back of a tin barn. One of the hens keeps getting into the nest when another hen is already in it and sits on the hen. Then she gets frustrated and scratches into the deep litter and makes a nest in the middle of the coop and lays an egg. What should I do?? What is wrong with my design?

 

[Overeasyplz]

Where is Britney Spears?
lol, sorry.. I put fake eggs in the boxes I want them to lay.. they get it after awhile

 

[Cetawin]

Well not much you can do really...there is always "the preferred nest" and they will use the same one over and over. I have 5 in my coop for 27 girls...one nest has never been used in nearly two years. Does not matter what I do with it, to it, etc etc. No one uses it. The normal recommendation is one nestbox per every 4 - 5 hens.

You can put a fake egg in the other nest and leave it there....put her in the nestbox and try that... Good luck.

 

[kimslack]

I have 1 golf ball in each nest...they just ignore the left most nest. I turned the lite off for the afternoon and opened up their entranceway to the backyard so they'd have natural lite.

Britney is the little red colored one who looks a little confused.

 

[catwalk]

Ahh, poor Brittney, always wanting what she can't have! Tell her just to lay on top of the other hens, if she's going to sit there anyway!

 

[farmin'chick]

I had one crawl on top of a beginner slow layer yesterday and lay her egg, which rolled under the first bird -- but the weight of the 2 hens crushed the new layer's egg!

 

[kathyinmo]

I agree with the above posters. I love that rooster of yours!

What kind of mix is he? I would love to know!

 

[NonnasBabies]

Same here.. I have 8 nesting boxes and 3 hens are laying... I skipped one day of checking for eggs cause it was so cold and had 6 eggs in the same nest the next day!! They LOVE this one particular box!!

Hope when my other 15 start laying they will pick some of the other boxes!!

Missi

ETA: I have fake eggs in every box and they still all pick the same one!!

 

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
Kathy! You do not need this rooster!

But he looks to me like a Golden Cuckoo Marans, but I am never right!

 

[kathyinmo]

Quote:
Kathy! You do not need this rooster!

But he looks to me like a Golden Cuckoo Marans, but I am never right!

I was thinkin' the same thing ... Golden Cuckoo ....
I just love the beautiful barring. He reminds me of my beautiful Obama.
You are wrong .... I do NEED this rooster!