Hen not laying in nesting box

[Princess Lay- A]

I have 6 hens that are 7 months old and have been using the nesting boxes since they started laying . I have 1 hen that is all of a sudden laying in the corner of the coop ( she was the first hen to start laying) my boxes have curtains and everyone else is using the boxes without fail. Any idea why all of a sudden she is boycotting the nesting boxes , I have 2 boxes and always change out the nesting pads if they get dirty.I put fake eggs in each box. I caught her in the act , and gently put her in the box which she then proceeded to run outside into the run. What else can I do? Or will she eventually go back to the box on her own. I don’t want the other girls to decide “well if she can do It so can I”.

 

[TooCheep]

If this is a 1-time thing, don't worry about it. Chickens can occasionally lay in odd locations: in the coop, over night from the roosting bar, etc. They'll almost always go back to the "usual" spot next time.

Otherwise:
Is she low on the pecking order? Chickens are fairly mean when they want to get into a nest box and someone else lower on the pecking order is there.

BYCers commonly recommend 1 nest/4 chickens, but I've seen way too much drama and noise over nesting boxes and have gone to 1 nest/2 chickens. My girls commonly lay 6 eggs/week which is more than many breeds, so that affects the amount of time they spend in the nest boxes.

It is possible others will copy her, but I doubt it. Chickens prefer a quiet, darkish, enclosed, safe area to lay. That's why I suspect she is being bullied and laying in an alternate location. If that fits your situation, then see if you can add another nesting box.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How long as she been "boycotting" the nest box? Depending on how the coop is laid out you can try blocking off or messing up the area she's chosen to nest in, to make the actual nest boxes a more appealing location.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Occasionally, maybe once every two or three years, I'll have a hen that was laying in my nests decide to start laying somewhere else. I usually don't know why, I'm not down there watching them all of the time. It is not always one low in the pecking order. A couple of times that hen has gone broody a few weeks later but most of the time she has not gone broody. I'm just grateful when the nest is somewhere I can notice it.

How long as she been "boycotting" the nest box?

Yes, how long? Have you been finding eggs in that spot for a few days or did maybe one just pop out when she was wondering around? If eggs have been in that spot for a few days it is a nest. If it is just once that could easily be an "oops" egg.

Depending on how the coop is laid out you can try blocking off or messing up the area she's chosen to nest in, to make the actual nest boxes a more appealing location.

I've tried this a couple of times. It has never worked for me, but some people say it has for them. Different coops, different hens. It may depend on a few different things. When I block the area the hen just lays next to whatever I used to block it. But definitely pick up the egg as soon as you see it. You don't want the egg to encourage other hens to lay there.

I made a couple of my nests so I can lock a hen in there. When I catch a hen on the wrong nest I catch her and lock her in the nest I want her to use until she lays that egg. Once is usually all it takes.

Often that involves me chasing her with a fishing net. I do not go out of my way to be nice, I do not want her to associate the bad nest to a safe nest and I do want her to associate the good nest with being safe. That's another reason I leave my hens alone when they are on the good nest laying.

Good luck! This kind of stuff can be frustrating.