Hen uses the nesting box sometimes.......and the coop floor other times.....

[CrzyCknLady]

I'm not sure what is up with my EE Midge but I caught her laying her egg on the coop floor this afternoon - when no one else was in any of the nesting boxes. This is the third day this week that it has happened. She has been laying for a few weeks now and up until this week, has always used the nesting boxes. I did introduce 4 new layers to my flock this week so that could have something to do with it - but I find it very strange she will lay in the box (I saw her in it a while before I found her laying her egg in the corner) but then get up and climb down to the floor and lay her egg in the corner.

My boxes are clean and have sufficient hay & pine shavings in them as the other ladies have no problem using them. I'm just wondering what I can do with Midge to get her to start laying in the boxes again. One other day I did find her pink egg in a box, which makes her behavior that much more confusing.....like there was an egg on the floor, next day, in the box, next day, on the floor and then today, I saw her sitting in a box - but then she went and laid it on the floor......

What gives and how can I fix this problem? I am one confused chicken mamma!

 

[4 the Birds]

They say golf balls in a nest will encourage laying in that nesting box. I have tried this will little success. We have many hens and several nest box locations. A favorite box will be used one week and then another the next week. They even will make a nest in the goat house on the floor and that will be the favorite location for awhile. The hay bin is another spot that they will lay from time to time. Our nesting boxes are ideal but eggs can show up anywhere! Sometimes I think they switch up egg laying locations to try to find a place that the eggs don't dissapear (they are gathered by me daily).

 

[debid]

Check her for mites. One of mine started acting unsettled in the nest box and ended up laying elsewhere. It was mites even though the others weren't having a problem. I went ahead and dusted everyone, cleaned the coop thoroughly, put some pest powder under the nest box liners and under the floor litter, etc. She's back to using the box.

And I use plastic easter eggs with a rock inside for weight. Mine like to lay by the plastic eggs.

 

[mickey328]

Of our 6 RSL's we had only 2 who regularly used the box...the others all seemed to prefer the floor. We put some corrugated plastic down to help pad them and other than having to reach farther, it wasn't a big issue. However...the original nesting box was uncovered, and since we got them into their new coop with a roof over the nesting boxes, all 6 have chosen to use the boxes. It seems they really do like to have a private, secure and dark spot. LOL, production hasn't increased but they're easier to collect now.

 

[CrzyCknLady]

I have a combination of golf balls and ping pong balls in each of the boxes and they have worked - I'll check her later for mites - hopefully she's just mad about her new friends.